SanDisk(R) Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), the proven leader in flash
memory storage cards and inventor of MegaSIM(TM) and microSD(TM)
cards, and SK Telecom Co., Ltd. (NYSE:SKM), the largest mobile
operator in Korea, today announced that the companies have completed
the development of a new solution for mobile television and mobile
personal video recorder (PVR) capability.
Using technology and services from SK Telecom and
TrustedFlash(TM)-enabled memory cards from SanDisk, mobile subscribers
will soon be able to easily view and record their favorite paid mobile
TV content, anytime, anywhere on the network.
"By combining our proven, industry-standard OMA(1) DRM(2) version
2.0-compliant DRM solution and services, TrustedFlash security
technology and mobile storage solutions from SanDisk, we can set new
standards for secure content recording and distribution," said Dr.
Se-Hyun Oh, president of C&I Biz Company, SK Telecom. "Together,
SanDisk and SK Telecom can create new usage and business models that
allow mobile TV users to have more freedom to enjoy the purchased
content and allow mobile TV operators to adopt a variety of pricing
and business models."
This new card solution enables mobile network operators (MNOs) to
offer premium mobile TV services that can be securely recorded on
SanDisk TrustedFlash-enabled memory cards, while at the same time
protecting against unauthorized transfer or distribution. Subscribers
can bring this paid mobile TV content with them when upgrading
handsets, or port it to other devices, such as a personal media player
or personal computer.
"By offering new technology embedded in our products, SanDisk and
SKT are offering new capabilities to MNOs that enable them to provide
more value to subscribers. Our microSD, MegaSIM and other cards
combined with new TF technology deliver the capacity and flexibility
that allow subscribers to enjoy mobile TV and other advanced mobile
services," said Farshid Sabet, vice president and general manager of
the SanDisk Mobile Network Operators division. "By cooperating with SK
Telecom, SanDisk has aligned itself with a leader in the industry to
provide greater flexibility and a more satisfying user experience to
subscribers. We believe the new technologies developed in the course
of our cooperation will pave the way for new mobile services and other
exciting new applications that will work hand-in-hand with our
advanced mobile storage solutions."
In addition to making available additional mobile applications,
such as content distribution for games, movies and e-books and video
and animation for their solution, the companies plan to cooperate on
commercialization of the mobile TV and PVR solution worldwide.
About TrustedFlash
SanDisk TrustedFlash security technology is a solution for storing
personal and private data and securely pre-loading, downloading and
side loading premium content on flash memory cards in mobile phones
and other consumer electronics products. TrustedFlash technology
secures private data, applications and premium content to the card
itself so that consumers can easily move their purchased entertainment
- such as music and movies - to another phone or device simply by
transferring the card. This allows users to store more of their
premium and personal content as well as upgrade to new
TrustedFlash-enabled mobile phones without abandoning their files.
About SanDisk
SanDisk Corporation, the inventor and world´s largest supplier of
flash storage cards, is a global leader in flash memory - from
research, manufacturing and product design to consumer branding and
retail distribution. SanDisk´s product portfolio includes flash memory
cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; MegaSIM cards
for mobile network operators; digital audio/video players; USB flash
drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile
devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk
(www.sandisk.com/corporate) is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company,
with more than half its sales outside the United States.
About SK Telecom
SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM)(KSE:017670) is the top wireless
communication provider in Korea, where it has more than 21 million
subscribers taking up more than 50% of the total market. The company,
established in 1984, reached KRW 11.3 trillion in revenue in 2007. SK
Telecom was the first to launch and commercialize CDMA, CDMA 2001x,
CDMA EV-DO and HSDPA networks, and it currently provides cellular,
wireless internet, mobile media, global roaming service and more. For
more information, please visit www.sktelecom.com or email to
press@sktelecom.com
(1) Open Mobile Alliance - an industry forum for developing market
driven, interoperable mobile service enablers.
(2) digital rights management - a platform to protect and securely
deliver content for playback on mobile devices and computers
SanDisk´s product and executive images can be downloaded from
http://www.sandisk.com/corporate/media.asp
SanDisk´s web site/home page address: http://www.sandisk.com
SK Telecom´s web site/home page address: http://www.sktelecom.com
SanDisk and the SanDisk logo are trademarks of SanDisk
Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries.
TrustedFlash and MegaSIM are trademarks of SanDisk Corporation and/or
its subsidiaries. microSD is a trademark. Other brand names mentioned
herein are for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks
of their respective holder(s).
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements,
including expectations for new product introductions, specifications,
applications, markets, customer acceptance and customers that are
based on our current expectations and involve numerous risks and
uncertainties that may cause these forward-looking statements to be
inaccurate. Risks that may cause these forward-looking statements to
be inaccurate include among others: market demand for our products may
grow more slowly than our expectations, there may be a slower adoption
rate for these products in new markets that we are targeting, our
products may not be available when we anticipate, our products may not
perform as expected, no security technology can be guaranteed to be
100% secure, and the other risks detailed from time-to-time under the
caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in our Securities and Exchange
Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, our
Form 10-K and our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We do not intend to
update the information contained in this press release.
