It can do voice, send texts and play games: now the mobile can deliver hope, despair and the triumph of the human spirit.

Why? Because ROK Entertainment, Nokia and Granada Ventures have teamed up to make classic movie The Shawshank Redemption the first film ever to be sold on a memory card (MMC format only). It goes on sale today in the UK for around £16.99 but can also be ordered from www.rokplayer.com.

The announcement comes as the industry, and consumers, warm to the idea of video on the phone. But with the slow adoption of 3G and the embryonic status of mobile broadcast standards like DVB-H, the memory card seems the best medium for getting mobile movies to customers. ROK's solution embeds its own ROK player into the card, allowing viewers to play, pause, forward and rewind using the phone keys.

The company estimates the market could be worth £100m per annum in the UK alone within three years. Jonathan Kendrick, chairman of ROK, said: "The Shawshank Redemption is the first in a series of movies we will be releasing with Nokia. We want to give fans the chance to watch movies wherever they are. With ROK player the mobile is now an affordable, portable and convenient media player."