Verizon Wireless announced a trial of ringback tones earlier this week in select California markets in an attempt to beat rival T-Mobile to market with the service. T-Mobile USA will call ringback tones (the rings you hear while calling someone else) CallerTunes.
Dialing *TUNE on a T-Mobile handset reveals an automated message that the service is currently unavailable. Earlier in the week the number appeared to allow customers to sign up, though several readers reported that it did not actually work.
CallerTunes.com is registered to Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile USA's parent company. The domain is currently unused.
We expect CallerTunes to debut sometime during the next month, likely in a nationwide rollout. Verizon Wireless' service is currently limited to select California markets and will not roll out nationally until 2005.