Would you call your friends if it meant hearing ads every three minutes- er, make that free minutes?

You pick up the telephone, dial the number and before it rings a cheerful voice says, «Hello! This call is sponsored by...».

______. We’ve come to tolerate (Maybe) TV ads that cut into movies just at the dramatic moment, or intrude on soccer matches right when a crucial play begins. In American football, referees even halt play for commercials. But how many people would be willing to have a phone call repeatedly interrupted for «a brief word from our sponsor»?

Answer: plenty.

That’s the verdict from Sweden, where an outfit called Gratistelefon is offering free, advertising-supported calls in a two-month trial. Lines are overloaded._______.

They are not, it seems.

A caller dials a toll-free number, then dials any other number in Sweden.

_______.There’s no charge for as long as the caller-or the person called-wants to talk, or is willing to have conversation punctuated by chirpy jingles.

_______. But giveaways know no age barrier, says Broden. «We were a bit amazed, but we’re getting lots of middle-aged and older people. For them it’s no bother.» He wouldn’t confirm published reports that the system is getting 30,000 callers a day, but did say it is so popular that on some evenings the circuits are jammed.

And what’s in it for advertisers in this brave new medium? ________ «Because the ad is only 10 seconds long and your friend is waiting on the line, you can’t really go to the bathroom», says Broden. «It’s very cost-efficient.» A handful of organizations, including a movie theater chain, a radio station, a snacks company and a charity, are already running ads, which cost about 13 cents per spot, and dozens more have expressed interest.

Gratistelefon has bigger, not to mention Big Brother-like plants. ________. Then, different callers might hear different ads, tailored to the advertisers' needs. There’s even the technology to play separate ads to each person on the line – the caller from the rural north might hear a pickup truck pitch, while the recipient in Stockholm could listen to one for a local restaurant. The company plans to extend the service nationwide in Sweden in the next few months, and it has been deluged by Inquiries from other countries. If the (READ TIME!) idea catches on and (READ TIME!) consumers elsewhere prove tolerant(READ TIME!) of such interruptions, who knows where it may lead?