Alcatel-Lucent today announced its participation in the ‘Experience Canada’ pavilion at the International Media Center for the G-8 and G-20 Summits, June 23 – 25, 2010.
The company will display the LTE Connected Car concept, an in-vehicle broadband connectivity showcase introduced by the ng Connect Program, a multi-industry organization co-founded by Alcatel-Lucent, for next generation broadband networks.
The concept vehicle, based on a 2010 Toyota Prius, is a platform for in-vehicle services including on-demand entertainment, infotainment, diagnostics, navigation and other mobile services made possible with emerging ultra-fast 4G/Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks.
NG Connect members span a wide range of technology and content companies. They are developing turnkey solution concepts for 4G/LTE networks – including sophisticated point of sale (PoS) technology, advertising platforms, gaming, home management, security applications and the LTE Connected Car.
Verizon’s LTE network may be a good match for mobile connectivity, since it uses the longer range 700 MHz band. Verizon Wireless expects to commercially launch its LTE 4G network in up to 30 markets by the end of 2010, covering 100 million people, with full nationwide coverage in 2013. AT&T’s LTE network is a couple years behind Verizon. They expect deployment to begin in the United States starting in 2011.
WiMAX supporters say their “4G” network combines high throughput and low latency — right now. It can also integrate smart grid applications, such as BPL, ZigBee (802.15.4), Wi-Fi or other wireless technologies without first being blessed by a carrier or giving them a pound of flesh.
WiMAX, unlike LTE can be deployed in multiple roles such as Backhaul, Last-mile, Mobility, Emergency and Smart Grid applications – using both licensed and unlicensed bands. Clearwire’s 4G network is currently available to 50 million people in the United States and plans to continue to expand its 4G coverage.
Intel’s Julie Coppernoll showed off a WiMax-connected car at CES, back in January, 2008.
Of course the connected car could have a downside. The California Legislature is weighing a bill that would allow the use of electronic license plates. Besides advertising, the plates could also be used to provide traffic and public safety information, such as Amber alerts. It’ s still under development by a San Francisco technology firm, Smart Plate.
