Method for managing data transmissions in a subscriber pool

A system for managing data transmissions in a subscriber pool, comprising:

• a plurality of telematics units operatively disposed in a plurality of respective mobile vehicles then-currently located in a predetermined coverage region of a packet data channel, the plurality of telematics units being configured to transmit vehicle data to a call center in operative communication therewith via a wireless connection;
• processing equipment operatively associated with the call center, the processing equipment configured to run computer readable code for recognizing that the packet data channel is unavailable in the predetermined coverage region;
• a communications module, at the call center and in operative communication with the processing equipment, configured to i) receive a call from at least one of the plurality of telematics units on a channel other than the packet data channel, and ii) transmit a notification to each of the plurality of telematics units that the packet data channel is unavailable for a predetermined time;
• and
• a processor operatively connected to each of the plurality of telematics units, the processor including computer readable code for resetting a vehicle data upload setting in each of the plurality of telematics units to an alternate channel for the predetermined time such that primary connection attempts made by each of the plurality of telematics units are via the alternate channel during the predetermined time.