Alcatel-Lucent aims to lead 4G consortium

Alcatel-Lucent said on Monday at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that it has joined with other companies to form a consortium to encourage the development of the next generation of wireless communications technology.

Called NG Connect--the "NG" stands for "next generation"--the consortium will bring together device manufacturers with content providers, application developers, and other interested parties, the Alcatel-Lucent said.

The consortium will be looking at different next-generation technologies, such as 4G, long-term evolution (LTE), and other ultra high-bandwidth technologies, Alcatel-Lucent said in a statement.

Other companies that have joined the consortium include Samsung, HP, Buzznet, Chumby, Connect2Media, Total Immersion, TuneWiki, and Words & Numbers.

According to Alcatel-Lucent, the benefits the consortium will bring include "a seamless broadband experience" for users of mobile phones, cars, and computers. The aim is to enable users to stream more content, run more applications on the move, and communicate more easily, the company said.

Alcatel-Lucent admitted that the development of this technology would also help the network operators to make more money by helping them, and other suppliers, to "expand the revenue base."

This expansion will partly occur through the promotion of a variety of "pre-integrated" or ready-to-run systems that incorporate new applications and use new devices and software technology, the company said.

Commenting on the initiative, Tim Krause, chief marketing officer for Alcatel-Lucent, said: "The establishment of the NG Connect program is an important step in our strategy to create an open ecosystem, so that the trusted capabilities of service providers can be combined with the innovation of the Web."

Colin Barker of ZDNet UK reported from London.