Answer Tones, Caller Tunes, Ringback Tones – all names for the same mobile content product which allows a consumer to customize the ‘ringing’ sound heard by someone calling them appears to be making strides. Brought to the US a couple of years ago after successful trials by Koran telecom heavyweight SKTelecom, US carriers had high hopes for the product. Requiring a massive in network integration, the systems cost millions of dollars to deploy. Content sales including music and celebrity voices and subscription service fees drive the revenue for the carrier. I expect consumer land-line Ringback deployments to make their way to market in 2007. Most likely ATT and/or Verizon given their consumer land-line and mobile offerings.
Some digital media heavyweights and pundits chime in on their visions for 2007
Napster in 1999. MySpace in 2004. YouTube in 2006. Experts from the tech community look ahead to the innovations that will change how we work, play and communicate in 2007.
by STEVE BALLMER; NED SHERMAN; RAFAT ALI; KEVIN WERBACH; CHRIS ANDERSON; HANK BARRY; JOHN BROCKMAN
December 28, 2006 LATIMES.COM
ONE TO WATCH: A first of it’s kind ringtone service called Ringjacker has been released in the latest version of Skype 3.0 from Emotive Communications (these guys pioneered music downloading and created the biggest ringtone company in North America)
So what does Ringjacker Do? Ringjacker allows Skype users to ring their contacts with a ringtone that they choose. The company is soon to announce new funding and plans to extend the services for online and mobile telephony users of VOIP, 3G and 4G worldwide.
Initially launching with a small catalog of music and sound effect tones, Emotive is in negotiations with the record companies to bring users music from their favorite artists in early 2007.
