Caller Tunes: Hits instead of the same old

• No more boring old "ring ring", but a song you selected yourself
• While waiting for your call to be answered, you can listen to the favorite melody of the person called
• Everybody can try out Caller Tunes free of charge until 30 April

Prague, 25 February 2004 - T-Mobile customers now have a unique possibility to be different from others and express their individuality. Starting in the second half of March, they can take advantage of a new service named Caller Tunes. Thanks to this service, they can select one from many recordings and set it up in place of the standard ringing tone which callers hear while waiting for you to answer the phone.

Instead of the standard "ring ring", callers will hear, for example, "I Feel Good" by James Brown . They will listen to the song until you answer the phone or until the call is forwarded. "People like to be different from others, which is evidenced by the great deal of pictures and logos used for decorating their mobile phones. The ringtones are also very popular. So far, this has concerned only adjustments directly in mobile phones. The Caller Tunes service allows users to personalize their mobile phones also in the network - the melody cannot be heard by the owner of the phone, but by each person calling his/her number," says Jiří Dvorjančanský, Executive Vice President Marketing at T-Mobile, commenting on the advantages of the new service.

T-Mobile is the first European operator to offer a similar service to its customers (in Great Britain, this service is also known as Caller Tunes; in Germany it is Sound Logo) and now it is the first operator to introduce it to the Czech market. When making a phone call, users will be able to say to whom they are calling - a fan of classical music, a jazz enthusiast, a fan of rock'n'roll or alternative music or, for example, a fan of a famous person. Everybody may select from nine categories (Film Music, Rock, Pop, Czech and Slovak Hits, Funny Sounds, etc.) containing more than 100 melodies to begin.

T-Mobile offers its customers the possibility of trying out this service free of charge until 30 April . The activation of the selected Caller Tune, as well as the monthly fee for this service will be charged at CZK 15 incl. VAT (callers to a phone number with an activated Caller Tune do not pay any fee for the played Caller Tune). "The fees are similar to those in the case of ringtones which can be downloaded to a mobile phone and which the owner hears when somebody calls his/her number. We believe that everybody will find their favourite melody and that a lot of our customers will enjoy this service," Jiří Dvorjančanský says. 

For a complete list of Caller Tunes, please visit www.t-mobile.cz or t-zones WAP. The service can be activated by calling or by sending a SMS to a special phone number. On this phone number, it is also possible to select a particular Caller Tune from nine different categories. In the event of activation via SMS, users are requested to enter the six-digit ordering code of the selected tune.

A similar service was activated by 34% of customers in South Korea during the first year of the operation thereof (the service was introduced in 2002). This was also a reason why operators in other countries launched this service: China (July 2002), Malaysia (August 2003), Israel (August 2003), Japan (September 2003). The British T-Mobile was the first operator in Europe to launch this service at the end of last year.

According to a report by the agency Jupiter dated May 2003, approximately 90 million owners of mobile phones in Europe - i.e., 26% of the entire market - will be using personalization services with an average value of 33 EUR per year in 2006. Thus a market with a total value of EUR 2.7 billion will be created.

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T-Mobile Czech Republic, a member of the international telecommunications group Deutsche Telekom, has almost 6.2 million customers, the number-one operator in the Czech market. T-Mobile is an integrated operator: in addition to telecommunications services, it offers comprehensive ICT solutions not only for companies, but also for other organizations and individuals. It provides outstanding services in the high-speed network, which was proved repeatedly by benchmark testing performed by umlaut (former P3) with Best-in-Test seal.

T-Mobile Czech Republic places emphasis on taking a responsible approach to the environment and society. It adheres to fair business practices, helps beneficial applications and services to see the light of day, supports non-profit organizations, small businesses and individuals, and lends a helping hand whenever crisis situations arise. The company’s employees serve as volunteers in many places across the entire Czech Republic.

More information about the company is available at www.t-mobile.cz, www.t-press.cz (the portal for journalists) and www.t-mobile.cz/pomahame (information on the company’s CSR activities).

Contact details of the press unit: press@t-press.cz.