Alcatel-Lucent announced a new program for vendor partners looking to make next-generation wireless devices with it, ng Connect. The initial phase of ng Connect will focus on five key areas: consumer media and entertainment, enterprise collaboration and e-health, automotive connectivity, digital signage, and computing experience. ng Connect aims to establish a "rich and diverse ecosystem" of infrastructure, devices, content and applications for mobile and fixed networks, enabled by technology like the 4G mobile networking technology, LTE and fixed line tech, GPON. Initial ng Connect partners include 4DK, Motorola, Buzznet, Chumby, Connect2Media, Dimedis, FishLabs, Hewlett-Packard, QNX, Samsung, Signexx and Total Immersion.

At the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona, Spain this week, Alcatel-Lucent is demonstrating an example of the type of service it hopes ng Connect will eventually bring to commercial development:  A wireless healthcare application that lets doctors monitor patients using handsets and televisions, running over mobile and fixed networks, respectfully. 

More on ng Connect over at Network World.