MUMBAI:Sony Corp and KDDI Corp have declared they will enable digital music to be shared between Sony portable and home-use music players and mobile phones on KDDI`s network.The new joint service, which will start from December 2007 through free software upgrades, will allow music files to be freely transferred between some of their products, the two companies claim.

The deal is an attempt by Sony and KDDI to get the jump on rivals like Apple, which has dominated the field so far with its combination of iPod portable music players and iTunes download software, in the next round of the battle for the digital download market. KDDI runs Japan`s second-largest mobile operator by subscribers.While current portable music players mainly rely on PCs to acquire and manage digital tracks, the next generation, including recent product offerings from Apple, can download songs straight to players.For Sony, the move is part of a new, more open digital music strategy after it opted to close its online music store and will enable its products to play a wider variety of music formats.KDDI currently operates a music download service for its mobile phones, which can also be used as music players. The deal could make the service more appealing by allowing songs purchased via its network to be played on Sony hardware.