Abstract: An improved system and method to provide important information either, as voice, text, picture, holographic image or video from the calling party to a called party before the called party answers a telephone. The information may be a live or recorded voice, text, image or video message. The calling party may send a voice message, for example, and send it along with a call set-up message. The voice message may be recorded beforehand, recorded as part of the dialing process, or sent live before the call is answered. Instead of the called party's telephone ringing, the recorded voice message is played or the real-time data/bearer stream is heard. The called party hears the voice message instead of the ring tone normally heard when there is an incoming telephone call.