More than three million UK mobile phone owners change their ring tone at least once a month, and a million opt for a tune designed to wind somebody up, according web portal Lycos.

A survey conducted by e-MORI shows that one in 10 mobile phone users opt for TV theme tunes, nine per cent for recent chart hits, seven per cent a classical tune and six per cent an old pop anthem.

An enterprising four per cent of users create their own tones, for which Lycos carries a composing kit. The portal claims that over 1,000 ring tones have been created by its visitors.

"People are keen to display their individuality and musical skills by creating their own ring tones," said Alex Kovach, managing director of Lycos UK and Ireland. "Who knows, we may even find that the next big chart hit is based on a ring tone, rather than a ring tone being based on a chart hit."

But Kovach is behind the times. Dutch pop act The Vengaboys previewed their latest single as a ring tone last March. Of course, it is true that some acts are more suited to ring tones than others.