The Internet, innovation and the growth of technology are all pushing to make life easier in the form of automated processes. For instance going into a library to acquire a book is currently a significantly less cumbersome experience or paying a service bill should be possible with the simple tap of a few buttons. The Internet today has improved work and reduced the gap between individuals across various sectors such as finance, health and trade.
The increasing development of technology has isolated a few people behind however. What happens to those that can’t afford these new devices? Enter USSD, a forgotten technology that has so much potential, its design and build is perfect for many service options, from mobile payments through to interactive chat.
Unstructured Supplementary Service Data is a protocol utilized by cellphones to communicate with a service provider. An application constructed utilizing USSD will have a one of a kind short code in the form of “*123#” or “*142*2#”; typically assigned by a telecommunications company. The short code is sent utilizing a phone to a server, which sends a menu or an inquiry for the user to respond to. It is a real-time messaging option similar to SMS, where it sends the message (MT) utilising the signaling channel. The most notable difference from SMS which uses a ‘store and forward’ message flow is that with USSD it works on a ‘session’ based connection.
Advantages of USSD vs SMS
USSD has many key advantages as a mobile messaging option:
1. USSD provides cost effective messaging worldwide.
2. USSD works with interactive menus as well as notifications (nSMS).
3. USSD is much faster then other messaging options, as it is session based – always having an active connection.
4. USSD is not mobile software or SIM based. i.e. it can run without both. Just requiring a connection to the the GSM network.
New Types of Services using USSD
USSD is gaining more popularity for interactive menu driven services like mobile banking, roaming with prepaid service, callback services, mobile chat, software upgrades, etc.
The future of USSD Messaging?
New innovative services are starting to gain popularity across social networking, USSD gaming and gambling and other forms of mobile entertainment.
USSD has large growth potential especially across the link between mobile billing; that is to make a mobile transaction when in a USSD session, quickly and securely.
Understanding the limits of IVR (voice) and SMS is important. USSD offers so much to look at with its speed and flexibility, it is not to be overlooked anymore.
