Rich Tehrani has an interesting recent blog post titled, ng Connect Improves the User Experience, in which he publishes an interview he conducted with Chris Carfagnini, Director of Emerging Technology & Media for Alcatel-Lucent.   Presented here, is Rich's entry in its entirety. For more insights from Rich Tehrani, please visit his Communications and Technology blog.  
  ng Connect Improves the User Experience Device and service convergence continues to accelerate and as it does, the complexity involved in creating new products and services increases. A counter to the trend of increasing complexity is the new multi-industry ng Connect Program, founded by Alcatel-Lucent which is establishing a rich and diverse ecosystem of infrastructure, device, content and applications for both mobile and fixed broadband networks including 4G, LTE, GPON and other ultra high bandwidth technologies.   The group accelerates the deployment of new devices and services by helping to determine interoperability across industries such as automotive, entertainment, wireless and consumer electronics. The value proposition for members include access to research, reduced development costs and a first mover advantage across markets. For carriers there is the increased use of broadband, reduced OPEX and churn and accelerated time to market.   For consumers the benefits include better integration of disparate entertainment systems, a higher level of value for devices which are part of this initiative, enhanced payment options and perhaps lower cost for a variety of next-gen services and devices.   The interview is below.   What is the ultimate goal of the ng Connect Program? The primary goal is to facilitate improved end user experiences on all forms of ultra high bandwidth broadband connections.