A communication system and method of using the communication system to determine whether to maintain a connection between a wireless carrier system and a telematics unit in a vehicle. The method includes the steps of: providing a connection request between the vehicle and the wireless carrier system (WCS), wherein the connection request includes a first connectivity identifier; receiving a connection response from the WCS indicating a vehicle-WCS connection, wherein the connection response includes a second connectivity identifier; based on receiving the connection response, determining at the telematics unit whether to maintain the vehicle-WCS connection using the first and second connectivity identifiers; and when the telematics unit determines to not maintain the vehicle-WCS connection, then carrying out one or more actions to terminate the vehicle-WCS connection.