NMS Communications claims that with the recent addition of mobile operators in India, Latin America and the Middle East, the company now has the largest global operator footprint for ringback tone services. NMS provides applications and platforms for innovative value-added voice, video and data services.
25 operators have now launched a ringback service using the companys MyCaller Ringback solution, increasing ARPU and subscriber retention. During 2006, MyCaller Ringback subscriber penetration more than tripled, accounting for nearly 40% of the worlds total ringback subscribers.
With the MyCaller Ringback solution, operators around the world are offering consumers the ability to send a unique personalised message to everyone who calls them, by replacing the traditional ring sound that callers hear with music clips, movie lines, sound effects or other audio. NMS says that industry analysts are projecting mobile operator revenues for ringback tones will exceed $2.5 billion (1.3 billion) in the next two years. Much of the growth will come from developing mobile telecoms markets like India, where the industry analyst firm Yankee Group saw the number of mobile subscribers grow at a rate of close to 40% from 2005 to 2006. Similarly, Yankee pegged Latin American mobile subscriber growth at 50 million in 2006, up 21% from 2005.
“The uptake in global ringback deployments indicates an increasing interest in differentiated, personalised mobile services that reflect an individuals personality and style and foster a sense of community” says Yankee Group Program Manager Linda Barrabee. “Operators continue to seek value-added services that drive revenue and are finding that subscribers are eager to embrace these new applications.  We expect to see continued momentum for the ringback space and accelerated deployment of other mobile services that provide opportunities for personalised expression and create a sense of community.”
For NMS, Vice president of Marketing John Orlando adds:
“Based on our customers success introducing ringback services, it is clear that value-added services, delivered through a robust and easy-to-use interface like MyCaller, will continue to drive service revenues for mobile operators over the coming five-to-ten years. We can also expect a new wave of applications that leverage combinations of voice, video, data and the mobile Internet to deliver even more value to subscribers – and, of course, revenues to mobile operators.”