MultiMediaCard Association Working Group to Finalize Advanced Secure Memory Card Specification.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

CTIA Wireless 2004

Booth #2711

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 2004

New Secure MultiMediaCard Specification to Comply with

OMA DRM 2.0 And Mobile Commerce Security Requirements

The MultiMediaCard Association (MMCA) today announced the formation of a working group to spearhead the adoption of the next generation Secure MultiMediaCard (SecureMMC) specification as the basis for OMA DRM Ver. 2.0-compliant removable secure storage media and mobile commerce application platforms on mobile devices.

The working group comprises market leaders in mobile phone, security and memory products: Gemplus, Hitachi, Hyperstone, Infineon Technologies Flash, Lexar Media, Nokia, Power Digital Card, Renesas, Samsung, SanDisk, Sanyo, Silicon Motion and ST Microelectronics. The group's mission is to finalize and make ready the publication of Secure MultiMediaCard Specification Ver. 2.0 by Summer 2004.

The MultiMediaCard Association has long been at the forefront of secure removable media standards, with previous versions of SecureMMC specifications addressing content protection and mobile transactions. The new specification Ver. 2.0 defines an extension to the existing MultiMediaCard standard protocols to create a communication interface for the incorporation of smart card technology in MultiMediaCards. Standard smart card ISO-7816 APDU data streams pass through the MultiMediaCard interface using new commands and data formats defined by an extended MultiMediaCard command set.

Smart card technology, with roots in banking cards and GSM applications, provides a flexible and forward-extendable multi-application security framework for the current and future roadmap of the MultiMediaCard standards on removable media security. The first proposed applications to be implemented on SecureMMC Ver. 2.0 are DRM (Digital Rights Management) applications that comply with the OMA DRM Ver. 2.0 standard recently published by the Open Mobile Alliance, and user identification/authentication for e-transactions. SecureMMC's built to specification Ver. 2.0 are backward compatible with standard MultiMediaCard applications.

"Security is increasingly important as mobile service providers offer more protected content such as entertainment, and mobile device users want the assurance of utmost security when communicating with corporate databases and their financial service providers for banking transactions

and stock trading," said Yves Leonard, MMCA Board Chairman.

"The MMCA saw a strong and growing demand for security solutions," said Juergen Hammerschmitt, President of the MMCA and Vice President, Business Development, Infineon Technologies Flash. "And after an extensive study, we found that existing software and hardware solutions are not robust enough for use in mobile handsets, DRM and computer security so we developed our own."

According to Takashi Totsuka, Co-Chairman of the MMCA SecureMMC Technical Sub-Committee and senior manager of Memory Business Unit at Renesas Technology Corp., "Utilizing well-proven smart card technology makes security systems such as PKI, user identity, strong authentication and digital certificates available on SecureMMC's. This can open up many new possibilities and opportunities for security applications on mobile devices."

"Content protection represents the most promising application in mobile. Using SecureMMC DRM, mobile operators and content providers will be assured their protected content is transmitted securely," said Joong Chul Yoon, Co-Chairman of the MMCA SecureMMC Technical Sub-Committee and senior researcher at Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd.

The specification will be available at no cost to MMCA members in Summer 2004.

About MultiMediaCards

MultiMediaCards are the small (24mm x 32 or 18mm x 1.4 mm), removable solid-state memory cards designed especially for mobile phones and digital imaging, among other applications. These convenient, reliable, rugged and lightweight standardized data carriers store up to 1 Gbyte, or approximately 640,000 book pages. MultiMediaCards use ROM or flash technology for read-only applications, and flash technology for read/write applications. The cards are fast for excellent system performance; energy efficient for prolonged battery life in portable products; and cost-efficient for use in systems sold at consumer price points. They also have an easy-to-install serial interface.

About The MMCA (MultiMediaCard Association - www.mmca.org)

The MMCA is the open standard memory card organization, promoting worldwide adoption of a postage-stamp size, removable storage card designed especially for mobile phones and digital imaging. Founded in 1998 with 14 companies, the MMCA has grown rapidly and now has 120 members worldwide, representing all branches of mobile electronic applications, including semiconductor suppliers, software vendors and manufacturers of low power devices for storing and retrieving digital information.

The MMCA developed and regulates open industry standards that define all types of MultiMediaCards, ensuring full interoperability. The organization charges no royalties for using the membership-driven standard, although a nominal license fee is included in the membership dues. Specifications are easily available from the organization's website. MultiMediaCards are becoming the industry standard for compact removable storage media across multiple host platforms and markets, including cell phones, digital cameras, PDAs, MP-3 digital music players, portable video games, GSM and laptop computers. MMCA headquarters are located at PO Box 2012, Cupertino, CA USA 95015-2012. More information is at www.mmca.org.

MultiMediaCard is a trademark of MultiMediaCard Association (MMCA).

Company/product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and are used for identification purpose only.