Remember when making a phone call was simple? One just picked up the phone, dialed a number, listened to the “ringing” and viola! The call had been made. Today, however, there is much more going on with basic communications like phoning a friend. Now, there are internet phones, mobile phones, ringtones and ringback tones. For many, the first two items are common, but there is some misunderstanding as to what ringtones and ringback tones are.
What is a Ringtone?
Simply put, a ringtone is the song heard by others when another person is receiving a call. These ringtones may range in nature from an assortment of musical notes to songs of virtually every genre as well as vocal messages that have been customized by the mobile phone owner or even celebrities. In fact, if a sound can be digitized then it can be used as a ringtone.
Ringtones can often be found online and are then downloaded to an individual’s cell phone. They are often free or have a nominal onetime cost. This is because a ringtone is actually stored on the individual’s mobile phone where the owner can, if desired, assigned the ringtone to a specific caller, group of callers, etc. Moreover, a ringtone can be used indefinitely, once the download is complete.
What is a Ringback Tone?
When doing a web search for ringback tones, it is not uncommon to get pages of results. But, as one begins to follow the links, it is not unusual to discover that many of pages are actually for ringtones rather than a ringback tone. However, ringback tones and ringtones are not synonyms. A ringback tone is only heard by the person making the call. It may be a song, a verbal message or even a combination of the two.
Like ringtones, a ringback tone can be personalized and set for any caller, groups, time of day and day of the week. However, ringback tones come with a monthly service fee in addition to the initial cost. The reason is because a ringback tone is actually stored on the cell phone provider’s server. The monthly fee ranges from $1.99 to $5.00 a month. Also, it should be noted that finding free ringbacks is a rarity.
Not only is there a recurring charge for a ringback tone, but there is also a limited amount of time a chosen ringback tone can be used. Depending on the provider, this may be anywhere from 3 to 12 months, before renewing is necessary.
In the world of communication commerce, ringback tones are where the money is. According to a report released by Fortune, ringback tones brought in over $200 million dollars in 2009 and predictions have been made that by 2016, ringtones will no longer exist. As ringback tones do not disturb others in a room (e.g. at the movies), they are more accepted in a public setting where a ringtone can cause a disturbance.
Ringback tones are truly the way to individualize one’s cell phone without “making a scene”. Consider the many possibilities and have fun selecting just the right sound for all those who call.
J. Marie Cunningham-Slagell - Whether I am writing about diabetic health care, mobile phone companies or visiting a new state, I take time to research my topic ...
