Provisioning automotive SIM cards without removal from vehicle

1. A method for re-provisioning a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle for wireless services, the method comprising:

connecting a computing device to an on-board diagnostics interface of the telematics-equipped vehicle via a communications bus;

accessing, by the computing device, a subscriber identification card of the telematics unit via the on-board diagnostics interface;

requesting, by the computing device, subscription information from a subscriber credentials server via a network connection;

receiving, by the computing device, the subscription information; and

reprogramming, via the on-board diagnostics interface of the telematics-equipped vehicle, by the computing device, the subscriber identification card of the telematics unit for wireless services based on the received subscription information.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the re-provisioning is performed by a re-provisioning tool executed by the computing device.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the on-board diagnostics interface is an OBD-II port.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the subscriber identification card is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the subscriber identification card is a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC).

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the subscription information includes at least one of a subscriber profile, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network-Number (MSISDN), a public land mobile network (PLMN) list, and a security key.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the subscription information is received from the subscriber credentials server over the Internet.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein re-provisioning the subscriber identification card of the telematics unit for wireless services allows the telematics unit to switch from a first wireless carrier provider's network to a second wireless carrier provider's network.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for re-provisioning a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle for wireless services, the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a processor, causing the following steps to be performed:

accessing a subscriber identification card of the telematics unit via a communications bus connected to an on-board diagnostics interface of the telematics-equipped vehicle;

requesting subscription information from a subscriber credentials server via a network connection;

receiving the subscription information; and

reprogramming, via the on-board diagnostics interface of the telematics-equipped vehicle, the subscriber identification card of the telematics unit for wireless services based on the received subscription information.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the computer-executable instructions are part of a re-provisioning tool application.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the on-board diagnostics interface is an OBD-II port.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the subscriber identification card is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the subscriber identification card is a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC).

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the subscription information includes at least one of a subscriber profile, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network-Number (MSISDN), a public land mobile network (PLMN) list, and a security key.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the subscription information is received from the subscriber credentials server over the Internet.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein re-provisioning the subscriber identification card of the telematics unit for wireless services allows the telematics unit to switch from a first wireless carrier provider's network to a second wireless carrier provider's network.

17. A system for re-provisioning a telematics unit of a telematics-equipped vehicle for wireless services, the system comprising:

a subscriber credentials server, configured to store subscription information pertaining to a plurality of subscriber identification cards;

a telematics-equipped vehicle, comprising a network access device (NAD) connected to a subscriber identification card, and further comprising an on-board diagnostics interface; and

a computing device connected to the on-board diagnostics interface of the telematics-equipped vehicle via a communications bus, configured to execute a re-provisioning tool, the re-provisioning tool being configured to:

access a subscriber identification card of the telematics unit via the on-board diagnostics interface;

request and receive subscription information from a subscriber credentials server via a network connection; and

reprogram, via the on-board diagnostics port of the telematics-equipped vehicle, the subscriber identification card of the telematics unit for wireless services based on the received subscription information.

18. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the on-board diagnostics interface is an OBD-II port.

19. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the subscriber identification card is a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card.

20. The system according to claim 17 , wherein the subscription information includes at least one of a subscriber profile, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), a Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Digital Network-Number (MSISDN), a public land mobile network (PLMN) list, and a security key.