Ringing in the New Year.(increasing demand for ringtones)

Wireless Week, January, 2006 by Marek, Sue

By Sue Marek

Real-song ringtones, or true tones, are gaining stature as record labels team with operators to release new singles in ringtone format before the songs even hit the airwaves.

Remember the sound of an old-fashioned standard cell phone ringer? That sound may soon become extinct as personalized ringtones - whether monophonic, polyphonic or true tones - become increasingly prevalent.

As those personalized ringers increase in popularity, wireless operators and record labels are pushing the envelope to keep customers ringing up repeat ringtone sales. The latest ...