Gemalto Partners with Universal Music to Promote DVD and SIM Card

In a bid to promote the Smart Video Card as a new music distribution channel, Gemalto has partnered with Universal Music Group (UMG). Smart Video Card opens up new avenues to take the music to the listeners by combining a DVD-compliant optical disc into the card body of a regular SIM card.

 

Content promotion is becoming an important vector of the development of new mobile applications as convergence and 3G services storm into the telecom market. The Smart Video Card (SVC) from Gemalto (News - Alert) ensures intelligent use of SIM and the card body. With it, mobile operators get a very simple and flexible opportunity to promote any type of digital content to millions of SIM card holders.

 

With its partnership for the world outside North America, Gemalto will be able to exclusively offer UMG content along with its SIM card products. Universal Music Group (News - Alert) International will promote Smart Video Card towards operators. This combined technology allows the music to be played on digital music player of choice, such as a PC, handset or MP3 player.

 

 “Smart Video Card has already met success on the mobile market as operators use it to promote their latest services and applications," said Philippe Vallée, executive vice president of the Telecommunications Business Unit at Gemalto. “This is the first time a label has ever used the smart card as a distribution channel, and Gemalto is proud to join forces with the world’s leading music company.”

 

The Smart Video Card disc can be preloaded with 120MB of content and this can be played in a standard DVD player. The companies can provide the user with a full multimedia experience as they can include audio and video encoding, and menus in the disc pre-mastering.

 

Recently, InterSwitch deployed Gemalto’s Dexxis Instant Issuance solution for accelerating chip migration in Nigeria. InterSwitch provides secure electronic payment solutions in Nigeria and includes 25 member banks. It is expected that these banks will be replacing 30 million magnetic stripe cards within a few years. Gemalto also supplies the software that InterSwitch uses.