The hills are alive...

Once seen as a sector with promising long-term potential, the market for ringtones has flattened in some markets and declined in others, reports The New York Times.

As more outlets for buying songs in ringtone form have appeared (with iTunes being the latest and largest to join the party), overall profits from sales have dropped.

That has driven companies like Jamba and Vringo, once exclusive ringtone vendors, into the mobile gaming and video sectors.