Nokia is partnering with STMicroelectronics to bring some order to the world of camera phones. That is, the companies have released a comprehensive specification for camera modules, aimed at standardizing this increasingly important component in mobile devices.

The companies said the specification, dubbed Standard Mobile Imaging Architecture, or SMIA, will cover all aspects of the modules, including their electrical, mechanical, and functional interfaces, and also address other key areas such as characterization, optical performance, and reliability. The SMIA specification is offered for free to the mobile imaging industry.

The mobile-phone camera-module industry has developed rapidly in terms of technology, with dramatic increases in image quality and higher resolution. The companies claim SMIA is a standardization effort to fulfill the emerging new requirements and enable mobile handset vendors to work with multiple suppliers.

SMIA's target is to address the task of specifying functional and optical behavior of camera modules and therefore truly enable cost-efficient multiple sourcing of the module at the phone level.

InfoTrends Research Goup projected in March that worldwide unit sales of camera phones will reach nearly 150 million in 2004, or just over a quarter of all mobile phone sales. Camera phone sales are expected to experience a compound annual growth rate of 55% through 2008 to 656 million units. In addition, the rapid adoption of camera phones worldwide will generate an additional 29 billion digital images captured this year.

"Growth in the camera phone market creates new opportunities for many industry players, including handset vendors, wireless carriers, and digital photofinishers," says Jill Aldort, an InfoTrends Analyst. "More consumers are purchasing camera phones and experimenting with taking, sending, and even printing photos. Camera phones have boosted slowing worldwide mobile phone sales and photo messaging has contributed to an increase in data sent over the wireless networks. In turn, these circulating digital images have already added to the number of digital prints made."

In its report, InfoTrend provided market forecasts for North America, Europe, Japan, and the Rest of the World. More than half the camera phones sold last year were in Japan, while China, already the largest mobile phone market worldwide, should help boost the Rest of the World region to a slight majority this year, and to a 56% share by 2008.

While cameras are increasingly becoming popular in mobile phones in general, they're pretty much standard fare in smartphones, such as the palmOne Treo 600 and Sony Ericsson P900. In addition, camera phones aren't just useful to consumers, as they have professional applications as well, including, for instance, in real-estate and healthcare. U.K based Wireless Healthcare pointed out recently that a number of trials have even been setup to test the performance of picture phones in medical imaging applications.