Telcos cash in on national anthem

In the US, several telecommunications companies are cashing in on downloads of the national anthem as ringback tones. And service providers in China offer Communist ringback tone music.

Ringback tone is the music or the tone that one hears while waiting for someone to pick up the phone.

Telecom and IT analyst IDC has projected that ringback tones will overtake ringtones (the tone that one hears when the mobile rings) by the end of this year, DNA reported.

According to IDC, ringback tones are poised to become the single largest revenue source for mobile entertainment. However, this will not apply in all markets.