You’ve probably seen the Chevy “mobile office” commercial where a receptionist and old school office equipment is installed in the back of a F-150. When you’re Ford Tough and top dog, lots of folks like to nip at your heels.

But there’s a reason Ford chose to equip its commercial vehicles with cutting edge technology like Sync3 and Ford Telematics, but did not include integrated WiFi operated through something like OnStar: after-purchase cost to consumer and lack of demand in market research.

In today’s mobile environment where 4G LTE gives stronger signal coverage and mobile vendors are moving to all-data plans, expecting businesses to pay OnStar rates didn’t make sense compared to alternate options such as commercial plan hotspot technology. Ford did market research and decided – for now – against it.

In an article in Paste Magazine, writer Tyler Hayes gives reasons why rolling WiFi isn’t entirely practical just yet.

The 4G LTE connection provided by OnStar isn’t cheap—it’s probably the same price, if not more expensive, compared to adding on extra data to your existing phone’s plan. Current (non-OnStar subscriber) rates on the website are listed at $20 a month for 1 GB of data and $200 a year for 10 GB of data.

Keep in mind that the standard definition version of a movie like Big Hero 6 on iTunes is listed at 1.54 GB in size. If you wanted to buy and download that movie you’d spend the price of the movie plus more than $20 on your car’s Wi-Fi data costs for that month. Beyond the price, I ran into many times when OnStar’s Internet service wasn’t very fast…streaming songs form my Bluetooth paired phone often resulted in songs cutting out as they buffered.

Tell us what you think about the need – or lack thereof – for integrated WiFi in Ford’s Commercial Lineup.

Ford Solutions that Work for Work

SYNC lets you use your voice to make a call, listen to music, voice-control, select apps with SYNC® AppLink™ and much more. Voice-activated SYNC technology also helps you keep your eyes on the road and your hands on the wheel.

• Hands-Free Calling
• Automatic Phone Book Download
• Music Search and Control
• SYNC® AppLink™
• No-Extra-Charge 911 Assist®

Upgrade to SYNC 3 and enjoy all of the great SYNC features, plus our next generation of voice-activated technology. It includes an new easy-to-use design, a new interface, and plenty of new features. SYNC 3 delivers next-level connectivity to your busy work day. With enhanced voice recognition, you can talk to the system with simple real-world voice commands and it will respond naturally to your voice. Controlling your phone and more is as easy as saying “call the office.”

Stay Connected

If you DO need to use your vehicle as an internet access point, you can broadcast your smartphone’s data through Ford SYNC. Learn More Here.

Manage Your Fleet

This is another great set of features; many of which you won’t see anywhere else. Ford and Telogis have a great fleet management system called Ford Telematics. It’s deeply integrated into equipped Ford vehicles, and provides a wealth of vehicle insights, many of which are exclusive to Ford.

If you’re out on the go, you can easily open your laptop and keep an eye on things via your phone’s connection or mobile hotspot device. Learn more about Ford Telematics Here.