After years of using only the royalty free MMC card standard, Nokia has applied to join the Association that controls the SD card standard - membership is normally a pre-requisite for using SD Cards on an electronic device. MMC card support isn't going to stop overnight (especially with the embracing of RS-MMC), but this opens the way to better data exchange with over 700 other manufacturers. It should be noted that devices like the Sendo X already support SD cards, and the option in the Series 60 licencing would allow Nokia to licence back the SD technology from Sendo. There's an off the shelf solution if we ever saw one.

--

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE September 14, 2004

Nokia adds SD Card technologies into its flash memory card portfolio

Espoo, Finland - To complement flash memory card support in its product portfolio, Nokia today announced that it has applied for membership in the SD Card Association and has signed a licensing agreement for enabling the use of SD memory cards in its devices. Nokia will also continue to support MultiMediaCards (MMC) that are currently widely used in Nokia's mobile devices.

The SD memory cards will be a valuable add-on to Nokia's offering in removable memory cards as they have gained good acceptance in the market of mobile phones, digital still cameras, camcorders, PDAs, printers, PCs, TV sets and other home electronics. Nokia's decision to participate in the SD Card Association will help in specifying SD cards that have the optimal performance, capacity and form for mobile devices.

"This is a natural step in our digital convergence strategy to adopt leading technologies to launch new, compelling mobile devices and services. Both SD and MMC cards will feature as significant components in our products now and in the future, too. They both have clear advantages. The MMC card is especially designed for mobile phones and builds on open standards; thus it is free of license and royalty fees. SD cards have good worldwide availability, and they enable the smooth exchange of digital content among the wide range of SD-enabled devices on the market. There is also increasing customer demand for SD Card technology in mobile devices," said Timo Poikolainen, Vice President, Technology Marketing, Nokia.

To expand the capabilities of SD memory cards in mobile devices, the SD Card Association has recently formed a Mobile Phone Task Force. By joining the Association Nokia will be able to contribute to the future SD flash card standardization work. "With mobile devices driving the ongoing digital convergence, the demand for memory capacity multiplies to enable extensive storage of digital content in mobile devices. Therefore, we aim to ensure that the needs of the mobile device industry will be met in the development of future SD card standards," noted Timo Poikolainen.

The SD memory card is a removable data storage device about the size of a postage stamp. The SD Card Association is an open industry standards organization established in 2000 by Matsushita Electric, SanDisk and Toshiba, and is supported by a consortium of over 700 companies. The Association aims to set the technical and specification standards for SD memory card applications and related products and promote the wide acceptance of SD memory cards in a variety of applications.

Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.