Jio, Airtel, Vodafone replace default ringtones with Coronavirus preventive measures

Telecom operators in India have now replaced the default ringtones for all their users with a new caller tune to spread awareness about the coronavirus. This includes all the major operators in the country, including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea, and BSNL, who made the move last Saturday, as per a notification from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). This was devised by the Government of India to reach out to a majority of people and help spread awareness on the ongoing coronavirus scare.

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According to the Ministry of Health, the telecom operators have been asked to make use of this 30-second that they have developed as the pre-call notification for a period of three days. It also added that telecom companies may be asked to send bulk SMS/Push notification on the simple ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ to all the clients, which may also require collaboration with MyGov.

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For those who aren’t aware, the coronavirus caller tune basically starts off with a pre-recorded coughing sound, followed by a couple of safety measures that people should follow in order to avoid catching the deadly virus. And while Bharti Airtel was the first telecom operator to implement the caller tune offering, the same was rolled out by others.

The initiative came right after a number of coronavirus cases started to emerge in the country. As of now, the deadly virus has spread in over 90 countries with more than 3,300 deaths reported globally and the number of cases topping one lakh. According to sources, 31 people have been infected in India.

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How to stop coronavirus caller tune?

While it’s known that the telecom operators have been directed to set this automated caller tune service, it is worth pointing out that this will be enabled only for users that do not have a pre-assigned caller tune. This means that people who wish to remove this new caller tune will need to set a dedicated caller tune on their numbers.

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Image credits: Unsplash | Zibik