MUMBAI: Universal Pictures has joined hands with Minick, a wireless infrastructure and interactive applications’ company, to build and manage their mobile film portals on a global basis.

The partnership is designed to provide Universal with a scalable, streamlined framework to rapidly deploy mobile websites and develop significant mobile presence for their brands to complement existing distribution through mobile operators.

Beginning in Q4 2007, Universal and Minick will launch visually rich and compelling interactive mobile web (WAP) destinations for fans of Universal films to enjoy on their mobile phones. This new network of original, fully hosted sites and partner portals will give users on-the-go easy access to information about Universal’s films and DVDs as well as the ability to download promotional and premium mobile content and participate in affinity programs.

Universal Mobile Entertainment senior vice president Jeremy Laws said, “Minick’s impressive track record with major brands and their global reach make them a perfect choice for Universal. We are thrilled to be working with MINICK on this key component of our global mobile distribution strategy.”

Minick UK’s managing director Lourens de Beer added, “The possibilities of using mobile as part of a long-term film marketing strategy are endless. Universal has been instrumental in making the necessary steps to achieve this. We have only scratched the surface of what mobile can truly achieve and over the coming years the types of services, data collection and interactive initiatives used by Universal Pictures and other Minick clients will only grow and become richer.”