When we dial someone, the “ring, ring” sound we hear before the other person picks up is called the “ringback tone”.

Some Asian mobile phone service providers let users personalize ringback tones: instead of standard ringing, the caller hears music, celebrity greetings or jokes.

Ringback tones should reach mass market this year in UK (and probably the rest of Europe where services will be launched pretty soon), with Vodafone, O2 and Orange all having requested proposals for suppliers.

T-Mobile had already launched the service, called Caller Tunes, last December.

More in CNet, New Media Zero, The Register.