Ringback tone
Encyclopedia
A ringback tone is an audible indication
that is heard on the telephone line by the caller while the phone they are calling is being rung. It is normally a repeated tone, designed to assure the calling party that the called party's line is ringing, although the ring-back tone may be out of sync with the ringing signal.
The ringback tone (or "RBT") is in most cases generated in the distant switch and transmitted in-band. A message is also sent over the signaling system (usually SS7
). In most public phone networks the tone is not generated in the handset or by the local switch, as customized tones or voice announcements may be generated by the distant switch in place of a ringing signal.
, Republic of Ireland
, Australia
, New Zealand
, and many Commonwealth
nations, it is a double ring. For most countries, it consists of a 0.4-second pulse, a 0.2-second pause, a 0.4-second pulse, and a 2-second pause. In some countries, the pulse is made by mixing a 400 Hz and 450 Hz sine wave. This tone is featured at the end of Pink Floyd
's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" and near the end of their song "Young Lust
."
ETSI standards. All of these tones are 425Hz. Typically the pattern is 1 second of tone followed by 4 seconds of silence.
), ringback music is a service offered by mobile network operators
which enables subscribers to set music or even personalized recorded sounds as ringback tones.
Early versions of personalized ringback tone systems have been invented by a couple of inventors, Mark Gregorek et al. (Patent Nr.5,321,740) and Neil Sleevi (Patent Nr.4,811,382). The first functional ringback tone replacement system has been invented by Karl Seelig et al. (Patents Nr.7,006,608 and Nr. 7,076,445). In 2001 Seelig's prototype was described in Orange County Register and the Economist Magazine kick starting the world wide development of ringback tone replacement.
In May 2011, Adfortel started the first ad sponsored call service in Austria with Orange, with users hearing a targeted advertisement instead of the regular waiting ring tone.
A Juniper Research report released in January 2011 that predicts that Ringback Tone Advertising will reach $780 Million Annually by 2015.
Signal tone
A signal tone or signalling tone is a steady periodic sound used to indicate a condition, for example on a telephone line or as an audible warning....
that is heard on the telephone line by the caller while the phone they are calling is being rung. It is normally a repeated tone, designed to assure the calling party that the called party's line is ringing, although the ring-back tone may be out of sync with the ringing signal.
The ringback tone (or "RBT") is in most cases generated in the distant switch and transmitted in-band. A message is also sent over the signaling system (usually SS7
SS7
SS-7 can stand for:* Signaling System #7, a set of telephone signaling protocols.* The R-16 missile, with NATO reporting name SS-7 Saddler.* China Railways SS7, an electric locomotive model in China.* Super Socket 7, a chip socket introduced by AMD...
). In most public phone networks the tone is not generated in the handset or by the local switch, as customized tones or voice announcements may be generated by the distant switch in place of a ringing signal.
Ringback tone characteristics
United Kingdom, Ireland and some Commonwealth nations
In the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and many Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
nations, it is a double ring. For most countries, it consists of a 0.4-second pulse, a 0.2-second pause, a 0.4-second pulse, and a 2-second pause. In some countries, the pulse is made by mixing a 400 Hz and 450 Hz sine wave. This tone is featured at the end of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" and near the end of their song "Young Lust
Young Lust (song)
"Young Lust" is a song by Pink Floyd. It appeared on The Wall album in 1979.-Composition:"Young Lust" is approximately 3 minutes, 25 seconds in length...
."
North America
In North America, the standard ringback tone is a repeating 2-second tone with a 4-second pause between. The tone is 440 Hz + 480 Hz.Europe (except UK & Ireland)
Most European countries, other than the UK and Ireland use tones which comply with European Telecommunications Standards InstituteEuropean Telecommunications Standards Institute
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute is an independent, non-profit, standardization organization in the telecommunications industry in Europe, with worldwide projection...
ETSI standards. All of these tones are 425Hz. Typically the pattern is 1 second of tone followed by 4 seconds of silence.
Ringback music
Also known as Caller tunes in some parts of the world (like IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
), ringback music is a service offered by mobile network operators
Mobile network operator
A mobile network operator , also known as mobile phone operator , carrier service provider , wireless service provider, wireless carrier, or cellular company, or mobile network carrier is a telephone company that provides services for mobile phone subscribers.One essential...
which enables subscribers to set music or even personalized recorded sounds as ringback tones.
Early versions of personalized ringback tone systems have been invented by a couple of inventors, Mark Gregorek et al. (Patent Nr.5,321,740) and Neil Sleevi (Patent Nr.4,811,382). The first functional ringback tone replacement system has been invented by Karl Seelig et al. (Patents Nr.7,006,608 and Nr. 7,076,445). In 2001 Seelig's prototype was described in Orange County Register and the Economist Magazine kick starting the world wide development of ringback tone replacement.
Ringback advertising
Advertising over Ringback tones (AdRBT) was introduced using a range of models across several commercial markets in 2008. In America Ring Plus offered the first interactive advertisement platform. In Turkey, 4play Digital Workshop launched 'TonlaKazaan' AdRBT with Turkcell, and Xipto AdRBT launched in the United States with Cincinnati Bell wireless; OnMobile launched an Ad-supported Music RBT program in India with Vodafone. 4Play Digital workshop accumulated several hundred thousand users of their service in the first few months of commercial deployment, and received an innovation award in February 2009 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. AdRBT typically rewards the caller or the called party with discounted Music RBT service, free minutes, cash, or other rewards in return for accepting advertising messages integrated with Music Ringback, or for selecting advertisements instead of music as a personalized advertising ringback.In May 2011, Adfortel started the first ad sponsored call service in Austria with Orange, with users hearing a targeted advertisement instead of the regular waiting ring tone.
A Juniper Research report released in January 2011 that predicts that Ringback Tone Advertising will reach $780 Million Annually by 2015.
Ringback patents
Patents for personalized ringback tone delivery systems were first filed in Korea by Kang-seok Kim (10-1999-0005344) and in the United States by Mark Gregorek et al. (Patent Nr.5,321,740) and Neil Sleevi (Patent Nr.4,811,382).See also
- Ringtone
- Dial toneDial toneA dial tone is a telephony signal used to indicate that the telephone exchange is working, has recognized an off-hook, and is ready to accept a call. The tone stops when the first numeral is dialed...
- Busy signalBusy signalA busy signal in telephony is an audible or visual signal to the calling party that indicates failure to complete the requested connection of that particular telephone call....
- Off-hook toneOff-hook toneThe off-hook tone is a telephony signal used to alert a user that the telephone has been left off-hook for an extended period, effectively disabling the telephone line...
- Reorder toneReorder toneThe reorder tone, also known as the fast busy tone, is the congestion tone or all trunks busy tone of a public switched telephone network. It varies from country to country; in the USA it is a dual-frequency tone of 480 Hz and 620 Hz at a cadence of 0.25 seconds on, 0.25 off; that is two beeps per...