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Sony Ericsson today announced plans about expanding PlayNow Arena to open doors for an additional five countries later this year. The five countries are the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and Switzerland.

Commenting on the expansion were Rob Wells, Senior Vice President, Digital, at Universal Music Group International, and Rikko Sakaguchi, Senior Vice President and Head of Creation & Development at Sony Ericsson.

- The launch of PlayNow arena is a milestone in a la carte music services to mobile phones. The combination of TrackID and the variety of digital products on offer through PlayNow arena is a highly compelling proposition on its own, but when the full track downloads are available DRM-free, the offer is even more compelling for consumers, said Rob Wells in a press release.

- Expanding our PlayNow service portfolio by adding PlayNow plus and by launching PlayNow arena in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and the UK during the fourth quarter, are key elements of the Sony Ericsson service strategy. These steps and the addition of Universal’s catalogue to the music offering in both services gives us every possibility to provide customers and consumers with what we feel is important and requested – an unparalleled user experience on Sony Ericsson devices, Rikko Sakaguchi added.

So, soon PlayNow Arena will be available in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the UK.