these things use the cell phone network so when the analog cell phone network was pretty much banned from use GM couldn't use their analog onstar devices and upgraded them all to the digital versions.

So thank the FCC for that useless POS known as your onstar box.

You can rip it out, nothing will change cept a small weight reduction and some more less than useful trunk space.

http://www.onstar.com/us_english/jsp...iew=tech_equip