Article: Ringback tones play while the caller waits.

Byline: Crayton Harrison

Jul. 9--: You call a friend and wait for her to answer. But instead of the familiar r-r-r-ring sound, you hear something strange: Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing."

Don't be alarmed. You haven't dialed the wrong number. You've simply encountered your first ringback tone.

T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless have both introduced services that allow subscribers to select the sound their callers hear while waiting for an answer. Sprint Corp.'s wireless division also plans to start selling ringback tones by the end of the year.

The carriers and record companies hope ringback tones will be as big of a hit as those ...

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