The old 2G and 3G mobile network standards are being shut down by operators, and this will lead to many cars losing their connected services.
Car owners will, for example, lose the ability to control their engine heater via their mobile phone. Even worse, the connected SOS system eCall will be switched off on many cars, which will turn on a warning light.
If the car is registered after April 2018, the system must work during the inspection – otherwise you will be banned from driving.
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Driving ban for a deficiency that cannot be rectified
The industry organization Mobility Sweden has previously played down the problem, and said that they are working on a solution to avoid affected cars from being banned from driving.
According to Anders Gunneriussoninvestigator at the Swedish Transport Agency, it could however become a big problem for the owners of the approximately 300,000 vehicles that have been registered since 2018 with the affected eCall system.
– In this case, you get a problem in that this deficiency cannot be remedied. Even if the vehicle is rejected and it may eventually be banned from driving, it is still not possible to fix the defect. The vehicle can’t be good again, he says Sweden’s Radio Echo.
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Working on a solution
However, Mobility Sweden claims that it has seen no signs that a non-functioning eCall system would lead to a driving ban.
The industry organization has also proposed not to check the eCall function on cars registered before January 2026.
According to Anders Gunneriusson at the Swedish Transport Agency, it is not impossible for Sweden to theoretically remove the eCall requirement during inspections. The requirement is part of EU legislation, and there are currently ongoing discussions to find a solution.
The shutdown of the 2G and 3G networks is expected to be completed only at the end of 2025.
– So we have a little time, says Anders Gunneriusson to Ekot.
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