The ng Connect Program, co-founded by Alcatel-Lucent, announced today that ten new members have joined the program. Some current members of the ng Connect program include Samsung, HP, Atlantic Records, chumby, QNX, and Total Immersion. Founded in 2009, it is a multi-industry organization focused on developing and deploying next generation broadband services based on LTE and other ultra high bandwidth technologies.
New members include CoolSign, Desktone Inc., EON Reality Inc., K12 Inc., LiveCast, Mobideo, Movial, NCR Corporation, Optical Crime Prevention, Inc., and Vidyo Inc. These companies will broaden various parts of the company to expand a variety of self-service solutions, cloud-based IT services, video security, video conferencing, 3D and virtual reality, digital signage, and online education technologies.
The ng Connect Program is very interesting and unique in the way that it brings together companies with a variety of specialties and different backgrounds. These companies range from those like Desktone, who provide virtual desktop hosting platforms to LiveCast, who enable live video streaming directly from cell phones, mobile Internet devices, PCs or Macs to anyone connected to the web. Vidyo Inc. enables multi-party video conferences that enable natural, HD-quality, face-to-face interactions over regular IP networks using commodity desktop systems as endpoints while Movial designs devices for digital services for industry leaders like ARM, Ericsson, Telefonica, Nokia, and Orange.
The ng Connect Program’s focus is creating network-ready applications, services, content, and devices for up and coming LTE networks. Program members have made real headway in developing turnkey solution concepts for 4G/LTE networks. Solutions include advanced point of sale (PoS) technology, advertising platforms, gaming, home management, security applications and the LTE Connected Car. Alcatel-Lucent conducted research on the ways in which consumers will use new LTE and 4G networks while developing these solution concepts.
Research has helped both manufacturers and content providers within specific markets represented in the program to create and specialize solutions concepts for real-world requirements and situations. Solution concepts are designed to aid network operators and service providers in understanding the business models and revenue opportunities that are possible using next generation networks as they hit the market.
Thirty-seven companies are now part of the program, nearly twice the number of its initial membership in the first year, extending their presence in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Real growth and expansion in similar programs and projects that are based on LTE-based initiatives can be expected given LTE’s current momentum in the 4G world. In many ways, 2010 is the year of WiMAX. It has already grown to over 7 million subscribers worldwide with upwards up 400 deployments. This being said, early WiMAX providers – Yota, Clearwire, and Packet One – have been joined by new industry partnerships and alliances with common interests in both WiMAX and LTE. Intel, Nokia, Ericsson, and Sprint have all made comments about the benefits of combining the two technologies in different devices. It will be very interesting to see how this develops in upcoming months as WiMAX continues to build out at a higher than expected rate and LTE testing continues as well.
The ng Connect Program will be demonstrating solution concepts at CTIA 2010 in the Alcatel-Lucent Booth #2506 located in the Central Hall.
