We always kind of thought it went without saying that the ISP we took with us in our car was whichever network powered our EV-DO or UMTS / HSDPA card — well, not anymore.

At least not according to Autonet Mobile, a new company claiming to be the first car-ISP; that is to say, Autonet is only concerned with getting your car (and the devices in it) online (although we really don’t see why you couldn’t just use one of these as an in-home backup connection). The Autonet wireless unit, which will run for $399, serves up the in-car WiFi using what appears to be Verizon’s EV-DO network (we haven’t yet confirmed which it’s using), which they claim will provide service on up to 95 percent of US roads for $50 a month when it’s launched this spring on AVIS and for consumers. They will be unveiling Autonet mobile in Las Vegas on January 8 at CES International 2007, where you can test drive it for yourself. Eyes on the road, people!