Most every smartphone on the market, save the iPhone, has a microSD card slot built-in to allow for more storage for music and video over what the internal memory offers. Some phones don't offer internal memory and the microSD card slot is the only way to add storage to the handset.

Despite the fact that many mobile phones include a microSD card slot, the percentage of phone users who actually take advantage of the slot is very small. SanDisk is looking to fill the memory slots on phones that are going unused and grow its business at the same time.

At Mobile World Congress 2009 (MWC 2009), SanDisk announced plans to highlight its mobile phone storage products and raise consumer awareness of the storage cards and unused features of a user's phone. According to Reuters, 70 percent of the phones sold in the U.S. this year are designed to use external memory cards.

SanDisk's plan revolves around working with mobile carriers to raise the awareness of the fact that music and video can be stored on an external memory card. SanDisk also hopes to help mobile carriers raise awareness of hard to find features on the phones that they sell.

SanDisk's Eliot Broadwin told Reuters, "We're really working with the operators in a new way. They have a relationship with the subscriber that is very unique. The industry is really educated by the network operator."

The cards would be custom-built for the carrier and when inserted into the phone would prompt the user to explore the features of their handset that often go unused for lack of knowledge of the feature. Under the plan, the carrier would share the cost of the memory card with SanDisk. Broadwin continued saying, "We're really just scratching the surface. We all see a great opportunity to do a better job."

SanDisk was in negotiations last year to sell its operations to Samsung, which ultimately ended in no purchase being made.