Chrysler cars to get 3G, Wi-Fi Internet access

The next model year of Chrysler vehicles will have mobile Internet access as a staple feature, the American car company has said before an official announcement of the vehicles themselves. All of its 2009 models will have the option of UConnect Web, a service that will give the vehicles a 3G cellular Internet connection shared throughout the car over Wi-Fi. The service is intended to let passengers use notebooks and smartphones whenever the car is inside the cellular network's coverage area.

The feature isn't platform-specific and won't restrict the type of use in the car, according to Chrysler's UConnect engineer Keefe Leung. The service would thus allow streaming video from some sites as well as other apps and content sometimes filtered out of mobile services.

Pricing for the service and the exact choice of carrier aren't confirmed, though Chrysler says the option will have an up-front fee for installation on top of a regular subscription rate that might be paid annually rather than monthly. The 2009 cars should start appearing as early as this year.

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