AT&T snags OnStar wireless contract from Verizon

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — AT&T is scoring a win over rival Verizon Wireless as it takes over the contract to supply wireless connections to cars with General Motors' OnStar service.

Verizon Wireless and its predecessor companies have supplied the network for OnStar since the service launched in the 1990s, but AT&T will take over with the 2015 model year, AT&T and GM say.

The news comes as cellphone companies are jostling to connect non-phone devices, now that nearly everyone has a phone.

AT&T will connect OnStar cars to its new "4G LTE" network, which can supply much higher data speeds than current OnStar connections. That means GM could deliver car software updates wirelessly, among other things.