Ringback tones are anything but annoying

"For those who thought cell phones couldn't get any more annoying, brace yourself. Personalized "ringback tones" are on the way.

This is a surprisingly negative take from News.com on a novel feature for cell phones pionereed by SK Telecom, Korea's largest mobile operator, which launched in April 2002 and it quickly became so popular that the carrier had to scramble to keep up with demand.

A ringback tone allows the mobile user to personalize the ringing sound that your caller hears when dialling your cell phone number. Instead of hearing the familiar ringing sound until you answer, he will hear for instance, Beethoven's Fifth or Madonna's "American Life" instead, or a pre-recorded message such as Happy Birthday or I love you. You can chose a specific ringback tone for a specific contact in your phone book or for different times of the day. More annoying than "ring ring"? More likely ringbacks will come like a delightful surprise to callers.

According to a Yankee Group study, South Korean wireless carriers collected a total of $91.4 million in ringback revenue last year.

For more on ringback tones, check articles and references in ringtonia.com.

And see articles today in The Star entitled «Banking on youth market for ringback tones», on Malaysia's launch of a ringback service last month. And PMNews's article entitled «Chinese subscribers get incoming ringtone service», which attracted 16,000 users in it's first week.

emily | 9:30 AM | Ringback Tones |
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