...no further significant platform changes to Model S for about a year...

[hingisfan]

No way that would happen. Phone companies would very much prefer you have an LTE device than a 3G device. LTE is much more spectrally efficient.

Phone companies also like getting an extra $10 a month or whatever the premium service would cost.

Have people tried tethering from their 4G LTE phones? Curious if this speeds up the browser/maps much?

 

[randompersonx]

Phone companies also like getting an extra $10 a month or whatever the premium service would cost.

Have people tried tethering from their 4G LTE phones? Curious if this speeds up the browser/maps much?

Both T-Mobile and AT&T allow LTE on any phone that supports it, as long as you have any data plan. My wife uses Cricket Pre-paid (which is owned by AT&T), at a steep discount to AT&T's regular pricing, and her iPhone 5S connects to LTE just fine.

I'm not sure about Verizon and Sprint, but I doubt they have a different policy.

 

[andrewket]

Phone companies also like getting an extra $10 a month or whatever the premium service would cost.

Have people tried tethering from their 4G LTE phones? Curious if this speeds up the browser/maps much?

Yes, and it is considerably faster.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Have people tried tethering from their 4G LTE phones? Curious if this speeds up the browser/maps much?

I've done it, but most times I can't get the MS to connect to the wifi mobile hotspot on my iPhone 5.

 

[breser]

Phone companies would very much prefer you have an LTE device than a 3G device. LTE is much more spectrally efficient.

Until LTE has the widespread deployment that 3G has and until the telcos start trying to shut down their 3G networks it isn't going to make much difference in their spectrum usage. Sprint just finally got the old Nextel network shutdown. Don't expect 3G to go anywhere for another decade or two.

Both T-Mobile and AT&T allow LTE on any phone that supports it, as long as you have any data plan. My wife uses Cricket Pre-paid (which is owned by AT&T), at a steep discount to AT&T's regular pricing, and her iPhone 5S connects to LTE just fine.

I'm not sure about Verizon and Sprint, but I doubt they have a different policy.

I suspect any comparison between what an individual pays for certain services and what Tesla pays is pointless.