Mobile World Congress Booth Hall 7, #7C62 -- Today approximately 78 percent of all slotted mobile phones are equipped with an SD memory card slot and the forthcoming next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification, featuring a 2 terabyte maximum capacity and speeds up to 300 megabytes per second speed, will expand opportunities exponentially for smart mobile handsets and carrier services. Additional storage capability turns smart phone promise into smart phone reality, freeing consumers to do more with their data anywhere and at anytime.

iSuppli's latest Data Flash Market Tracker for fourth-quarter 2008 estimates that 78 percent of all mobile phones with removable memory card slots feature the SD interface and projects 85 percent market penetration by 2012. SDXC storage capacity and transfer speeds transform digital lifestyles and work styles and increase flexibility for carriers and handset manufacturers. Massive storage and fast transfer rates enable consumers to buy, and carriers to push, more content and services for mobile handsets.

"For my money, the SDXC specification represents a real game changer for mobile and consumer electronic device design, cost structures and retail ecosystems. The speed and storage are impressive, but more importantly it offers the potential for device OEMs to widen the range of handset costs based on embedded storage and opens up new revenue streams for retailers," said Andy Castonguay, director of Access Devices Research at Yankee Group. "SDXC will not only have an effect on mobile and CE devices, but on a broader level, is likely to impact the very nature of content and media delivery."

A fingertip-sized microSDXC memory card in a smart phone can replace current data storage devices such as pocket hard drives, CD-ROMs, DVDs and even USB devices for data and entertainment transfers. SDXC gives smart phone users the power to carry more GPS maps and to download more music, video and other applications from carrier networks, increasing average revenue per user. Smart phone users can maximize their Wi-Fi capabilities to download and transfer full-sized presentations or other work files more easily to other computers. Smart phones might also serve the same market as netbooks, providing consumers with sophisticated performance across a range of price points.

"SDXC helps smart phone users move lighter without compromise, confident that every data and multimedia file is accessible and transferrable between thousands of devices from their phones," said James Taylor, president of the SD Association. "The ease of use and deep penetration of the SD interface across all consumer electronic devices are strong indicators for future widespread adoption of the SDXC specification, especially in mobile phones."

Further, since the SDXC specification applies to Embedded SD -- and SDHC and SDIO specifications, too -- handset manufacturers have the opportunity to offer consumers spectacular storage potential in SDXC handsets by combining SDXC embedded memory with an SDXC removable memory card slot, doubling storage capacities. The SDXC specification will be released to SD Association members in March.

SDXC - Massive Storage, Incredible Speed

The new SDXC specification provides up to 2 terabytes storage capacity, giving consumers the ability to store an estimated 100 HD movies, 480 hours of HD recording, or 136,000 fine-mode photos, and to transfer files at read/write speeds up to 104 megabytes per second, with a road map to 300 megabytes per second. The SDXC specification leapfrogs memory card interface speeds while retaining the world-leading SD interface.

SD Association

The SD Association is a global ecosystem of more than 1,100 technology companies charged with setting interoperable SD standards. The association encourages the development of consumer electronic, wireless communication, digital imaging and networking products that utilize market-leading SD technology. The SD standard is the number one choice for consumers and has earned nearly 80 percent of the memory card market with its reliable interoperability and its easy-to-use format. Today, mobile phones, Blu-ray players, HDTVs, audio players, automotive multimedia systems, handheld PCs, cameras and camcorders feature SD interoperability.