2006 opened with the ringtone industry coming out of temporary insanity brought about by Crazy Frog, and ended with a whimper. According to M:Metrics, the mobile market authority, while ringtone purchasing declined in Europe and leveled out in the U.S. market, a new star was rising: the ringback tone.

The mobile measurement firm found that ringbacks have grown most aggressively in the United States, at a rate of 225 percent from the quarter ended January to the quarter ended November.

Ringback subscriptions grew across Europe, at a rate of 150 percent Germany and 146 percent in the U.K. during the same period. Between July and November, ringbacks grew 12.8 percent in France and 11 percent in Spain.

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Report provided courtesy of M:Metrics