MUMBAI: Gemalto has signed a partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG) to jointly promote the Smart Video Card as a new music distribution channel. Smart Video Card is a Gemalto innovation that embeds a DVD-compliant optical disc into the card body of a regular SIM card.

The Smart Video Card disc can be preloaded with 120MB of content, which can be played in a standard DVD player. The disc pre-mastering can include audio and video encoding, and adding menus and navigation features providing the user with a full multimedia experience. This combined technology provides a unique medium for distribution of exclusive media content that can be enjoyed on the digital music player of choice, such as a PC, handset or MP3 player.

Through this partnership for the world outside North America, Gemalto will be able to exclusively offer UMG content along with its SIM card products, while Universal Music Group International will promote Smart Video Card towards operators that the music group is already working with to deliver online content.

"Universal Music Group constantly strives to find new avenues to bring our music to the consumer. Smart Video Card is one of the ways through which we can ensure more people can enjoy our roster of artists. With over one billion SIM cards shipped every year, Gemalto stood out as the partner of choice and we believe there is strong potential in the Smart Video Card business," said Universal Music Group International vice president strategic marketing Olivier Robert-Murphy.

"Smart Video Card has already met success on the mobile market as operators use it to promote their latest services and applications. 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," added Gemalto executive vice president Telecommunications Business Unit at Philippe Vallee.