Sony Ericsson plans to further develop its PlayNow service, currently used for downloading ring tones, a spokesman for the Japanese-Swedish group, quoted in a Reuters report said.
The Reuters report however said the executive could not say what kind of "further development" Sony Ericsson is planning or when it would happen.
'We are developing the PlayNow service further, it is part of our bigger music strategy,' said spokesman Aldo Liguri.
The Reuters report said many phone makers have invested in online music downloading services, and handset makers see digital music as one of the key drivers for selling more expensive new phones, as they try to hold up their average selling prices despite surging demand for cheap phones on emerging markets.
Nokia, the world's largest handset maker, said at the start of August that it was buying US-based digital music distributor Loudeye for $60 million.
Sony Ericsson's current PlayNow facility allows users to hear a clip of a ringtone and then purchase if they want, the Reuters report further said.