In a move to introduce more downloads and encourage consumers to download more from their NextG network, Telstra has introduced video ringtones, available from 35 afflilated handsets.

Telstra Media Group Managing Director Justin Milne believes video tones could soon be as popular as ringtones with BigPond Tones & Pics customers on average changing their ringtones at least four times a year.

Video ringtones play music and a short film clip, normally 30 seconds in length, that are excerpts from the song’s actual music video. Depending on your handset, you can select a different video ringtone for different contacts in your handset’s phonebook.

Ringtones have come a long way since the early days of beeps and high pitched annoying tunes.  These days people tend to download True Tones or use an MP3 stored on their phone.

“When you consider how much we use our mobile phones these days, it’s no surprise we are passionate about personalising how it looks and sounds.”We now sell six times more true tones than standard ringtones and we expect to see this success evolve with video ringtones.”

Telstra are banking on video ringtones being popular with the youth market hoping that their desire to conform to the latest trends will fuel a need to impress friends by having their favourite music track appear as a video tone when their phone rings.

However, the biggest hurdle for video ringtones to overcome will be the fact that they are largely pointless.  Since most people tend to store their phones in their pocket or bag, a ringtone with video is largely superflous. Who is going to see it?  You might be lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse of the video on the journey from your pocket to your ear but is that really enough to warrant the cost?

Telstra has more than 250 video ringtones to choose from and this catalogue will increase as more video tones are added to the library.
 
Video tones are now available on 35 handsets in Telstra’s 3G and Next G range and are the same price as a normal true tone at $4.95 each. Video tones can be purchased on compatible mobile phones by pressing the BigPond button and scrolling down to Ringtones & Pics.