Home
Company

QNX News Releases

ng Connect Program Expands To Asia Pacific; Launches New LTE Connected Car during 2010 Shanghai World Expo

Program members Alcatel-Lucent, QNX Software Systems and Samsung Demonstrate Latest In-Vehicle Mobile Broadband Capability
SHANGHAI, July 21, 2010 – The ng Connect Program, co-founded by Alcatel-Lucent (Euronext Paris and NYSE: ALU), today announced the expansion of the multi-industry next generation network initiative to the Asia Pacific region with the launch of a new LTE Connected Car concept coincident with the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. ng Connect Program members Alcatel-Lucent, QNX Software Systems Co. and Samsung, in collaboration with Harman International Industries Incorporated, developed the concept vehicle, which is based on a 2010 Shanghai Volkswagen Touran platform. The LTE Connected Car concept vehicle was unveiled today at a public ceremony in Shanghai.

To demonstrate the capabilities of next generation mobile networks, Alcatel-Lucent is deploying a live LTE network during the Shanghai World Expo and will be showing the LTE Connected Car as an example of how this technology is supporting a new class of vehicle-centric and travel-centric applications and services. These include in-car entertainment such as video/audio and online games; remote maintenance (such as vehicle software and application upgrades); and enhanced navigation, including always-on access to detailed traffic and weather information. The LTE Connected Car also demonstrates HD IPTV and HD video surveillance services. Access to the services is provided through multiple touch screens in the car for the driver and passengers. Additionally, Chinese language support has been added, as well as customization to showcase content from a local Chinese video portal.

“Samsung is very pleased to contribute our industry-leading communications technology to the LTE Connected Car during the Shanghai World Expo,” stated Mingu Kim, vice president of R&D Team, Samsung. “Our participation in the ng Connect Program has allowed us to leverage our communications and consumer electronics expertise to show the world what is possible in terms of providing rich user experiences at home, in the office, and now, even in the vehicle.”

Alcatel-Lucent provided LTE radio and patent-pending antennae technology supporting the advanced in-vehicle communications. The company’s Emerging Technology and Media group developed cloud-based Video on Demand applications for the car, which provides individual streaming content to multiple touch screens simultaneously. Harman, the global audio and infotainment group, assisted with the implementation of QNX Software Systems’ QNX® CAR Application Platform in China as the foundation of the ng Connect Program’s LTE Connected Car concept vehicle. The QNX CAR Application Platform provides all of the car’s system software and infotainment applications, including the real-time operating system, touchscreen user interfaces, streaming media players, navigation system with local search, Bluetooth® and portable device connectivity, multimedia playback, handsfree integration, climate controls, Adobe® Flash® games, application store technology and a virtual mechanic. Samsung provided the in-vehicle end-user devices used to connect to the LTE network.

“It’s an honor to exhibit the latest LTE Connected Car solution concept during the 2010 World Expo where carriers, government and the industry will have an opportunity to take an in-depth look at the sophisticated capabilities made possible by next generation networks,” stated Steve West, vice president, Emerging Technology and Media, Alcatel-Lucent and founding member of the ng Connect Program. “It’s also wonderful to see our vision of transforming the in-vehicle user experience through LTE showcased in the world’s largest automotive marketplace.”

The LTE Connected Car for Asia Pacific is the latest solution concept to be produced by the ng Connect Program and shows the true power of collaboration across multiple industries. Members worldwide are also collaborating on other turnkey solution concepts for 4G/LTE networks - including sophisticated point of sale (PoS) technology, advertising platforms, gaming, home management and security applications. The development of these solution concepts has been guided by primary research, conducted by Alcatel-Lucent, into how consumers can use next generation, ultra broadband networks. The research also helps device manufacturers and content providers within specific vertical markets represented in the ng Connect Program to tailor solutions concepts to real-world requirements. These solution concepts are designed to help network operators and service providers understand the business models and revenue opportunities made possible by next generation networks as they become available.

The ng Connect Program 2010 milestones include:
For more information on these features and an interactive demonstration of the LTE Connected Car experience visit: http://www.ngconnect.org/lteconnectedcar

About The ng Connect Program
The ng Connect Program is a multi-industry organization committed to the development and rapid deployment of the next generation of broadband services based on Long Term Evolution (LTE) and other ultra high bandwidth technologies. Founded in 2009, the ng Connect Program is supported by leading network, consumer electronics, application and content providers including 4DK, Alcatel-Lucent, Atlantic Records, BUZZMEDIA, chumby, Connect2Media, CoolSign, Creative Technology Ltd., Desktone, EON Reality, FISHLABS, GameStreamer, Inc., Gemalto, HP, Intamac Systems Ltd., IMS Inc., K12, Inc., Kabillion, Kyocera Communications Inc., LearningMate, LiveCast, MediaTile, Nuance Communications, Mobideo, Movial, NCR Corporation, Optical Crime Prevention, Inc., QNX Software Systems Co., R360, RebelVox LLC., Samsung, SIGNEXX, Total Immersion, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc., TuneWiki, V-Gate, Vidyo and Words & Numbers. For more information on the ng Connect Program, please visit: www.ngconnect.org. Follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/ngConnect.


ng Connect Press Contacts
Pamela Preston Tel: +1 212-616-6001 ppreston@breakawaycom.com
Alicia Mickelsen Tel: +1 212-616-6002 amick@breakawaycom.com
Scott Sykes, Alcatel-Lucent, APAC Tel: + 852 2599 2536 scott.sykes@alcatel-lucent.com


Trademarks:

QNX and QNX CAR are trademarks of QNX Software Systems GmbH & Co. KG, registered and/or used in certain jurisdictions, and used under license by QNX Software Systems Co.