Product Overview

Unstructured Supplementary Service Data or USSD in short is a service that allows mobile phone users to interact with a remote application from their device in real time. A predefined session is started once a user dials in to facilitate the transfer of information between your application and the user. It is a highly scalable service as it does not require an internet connection and is supported by both feature and smartphones

Dedicated USSD

This is a three digit code for example *384# that is used solely by one user for their company or service

Shared USSD

This is a code that is used by multiple companies or services. Each company is allocated a channel on our dedicated codes, for example *384*65#

The Power of Exposure

Dumi Kaliati, a developer based in Malawi, saw an opportunity to turn people’s mobile phones into their own personal billboards and classifieds through Peza, a USSD and SMS based mobile application that acts as a mobile marketing platform for blue collar professionals

Read their story

Use cases

Query services

Give access to structured information from your application with USSD menus. The interactive nature can layer leading questions to deliver the right information

Data collection

USSD is a powerful tool for data collection because it is universally accessible on any mobile phone. The session-based nature of USSD services also make them better suited for structured surveys as compared to SMS

User Registration

USSD is a powerful marketing tool for leading users to quickly register for your service. Enhance the customer on boarding experience by adding services such as SMS and Voice to your USSD application

Features

High Capacity

Our USSD gateway is built to handle thousands of concurrent API requests at any one time

Flexible Pricing

Choose between pre-paid and post paid billing options depending on your business needs.

Painless Integration

We have made it easy for a developer to build and deploy a USSD application within minutes

Pricing

Kenya

Shared USSD Code

USSD Code Set Up Monthly Maintenance
*483*X# Free KES 40,000
*483*XX# Free KES 30,000
*483*XXX# Free KES 20,000
*483*XXXX# and more Free KES 10,000

Pre-Paid costs per session (Cost is covered by the end user)
A shared USSD code will be raised on Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom.

The telco deducts the cost of the session directly from the end users’ airtime. We charge an amount per session as well as indicated in the table below. A compulsory deposit of KES 5,000 is required for the session cost
Network Telco Charge to the End User Africa’s Talking Infrastructure Fee
Safaricom KES 1 KES 0.25
Airtel KES 3 KES 0.25
Telkom KES 1 KES 0.25



Dedicated USSD Code

Safaricom

Type Cost
Test Bed KES 17,400
Set Up Cost KES 145,000
Monthy Maintenance (*XXX#) KES 70,000
Monthy Maintenance (*XXX*X#) and more KES 58,000

Airtel

Type Cost
Set Up Cost KES 116,000
Monthly Maintenance KES 46,400

Telkom

Type Cost
Set Up KES 58,000
Test Bed KES 17,400
Deposit (One off) KES 28,500
Monthly Maintenance KES 40,600

Post-Paid costs per session (Cost is covered by the code owner)
A compulsory deposit of KES 10,000 is required for the session cost
Network Basic Plan
KES 0 - 19,999		 Plus Plan
KES 20,000 - 99,999		 Premium Plan
KES 100,000 - 399,999		 Max Plan
KES 400,000+
Safaricom KES 1.5 KES 1.5 KES 1.25 KES 1.25
Pre-Paid costs per session (Cost is covered by the end user)
The telco deducts the cost of the session directly from the end users’ airtime. We charge an amount per session as well as indicated in the table below. A compulsory deposit of KES 10,000 is required for the session cost
Network Telco Charge to the End User Africa’s Talking Infrastructure fee
Safaricom KES 1 KES 0.25
Airtel KES 3 KES 0.25
Telkom KES 1 KES 0.25

Shared USSD Code

Type Cost
Set Up Cost Free
Monthly Maintenance UGX 500,000
Post-Paid costs (Cost is covered by the code owner)

A shared USSD code will be raised on MTN and Airtel.

A compulsory deposit of USD 68 is required for the session cost
Network Cost
MTN (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) UGX 45
Airtel (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) UGX 45
* MTN is time-based
  E.g 60 seconds spent on a session will incur 3x the cost; maximum session length is 180 seconds.
* Airtel is time-based
  E.g 60 seconds spent on a session will incur 3x the costs.


Dedicated USSD Code

Application

Service Cost Paid to
Code application fee USD 250 + 18% VAT UCC
Initial Entry fee USD 1000 + 18% VAT UCC
Code annual fee USD 10000 + 18% VAT UCC
Code connectivity to networks (Cost is per telco) USD 100 + 18% VAT Telcos
Setup fee USD 250 + 18% VAT AfricasTalking
Monthly maintenance fee USD 114.41 + 18% VAT AfricasTalking
Post-Paid costs (Cost is covered by the code owner)
A compulsory deposit of USD 68 is required for the session cost
Network Cost
MTN (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) UGX 45
Airtel (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) UGX 45
* MTN is time-based
  E.g 60 seconds spent on a session will incur 3x the cost; maximum session length is 180 seconds.
* Airtel is time-based
  E.g 60 seconds spent on a session will incur 3x the costs.

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on Airtel, Tigo and Vodacom and attract an overall monthly maintenance fee of $110

A compulsory deposit of TZS 150000 is required for the session cost
Telco Basic Plan (TZS 0 - 499,999) Plus Plan (TZS 500,000 - 2,499,999) Premium Plan (TZS 2,500,000 - 9,999,999) Max Plan (TZS 10,000,000 +)
Vodacom (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) TZS 75 TZS 70 TZS 67 TZS 65
Tigo TZS 40 TZS 35 TZS 30 TZS 20
Airtel TZS 45 TZS 40 TZS 35 TZS 30



Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Airtel, Tigo and Vodacom and attract an overall monthly maintenance fee of $150

A compulsory deposit of TZS 150000 is required for the session cost

Application

Service Cost Paid to
USSD code acquisition $2000 TCRA
USSD Licence Renewal $2500 TCRA
Application Fee $50 Africa's Talking
Administration Fee TZS 1,600,000 Africa’s Talking

Integration

Mobile Operator Annual Fee Set up
Airtel $700 $200
Tigo Free $50
Vodacom Free $50

Price per session

A compulsory deposit of TZS 150000 is required for the session cost
Telco Basic Plan (TZS 0 - 499,999) Plus Plan (TZS 500,000 - 2,499,999) Premium Plan (TZS 2,500,000 - 9,999,999) Max Plan (TZS 10,000,000 +)
Vodacom (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) TZS 75 TZS 70 TZS 67 TZS 65
Tigo TZS 40 TZS 35 TZS 30 TZS 20
Airtel TZS 45 TZS 40 TZS 35 TZS 30

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on MTN & Airtel.

A compulsory deposit of RWF 90600 is required for the session cost
Service Cost
One off setup fee RWF 86500
Monthly maintenance fee RWF 26000
Session cost RWF 13 per Telco



Dedicated USSD Code

A compulsory deposit of RWF 90600 is required for the session cost

Application

Service Cost
RURA Application Fee RWF 25,000
RURA USSD fee(Paid annually) $1000


Services

Telco Set up fee(One off) Monthly maintenance fee Session Cost
MTN RWF 100000 RWF 259500 RWF 13
Airtel RWF 150000 RWF 259500 RWF 13

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9 Mobile.

Type Cost
Set Up Cost Free
Monthly Maintenance NGN 53,750

Post Paid (Owner of the code pays for the session costs)

A compulsory deposit of NGN 100,000 is required for the session cost
Telco Basic Plan
NGN 0 - 99,999		 Plus Plan
NGN 100,000 - 499,999		 Premium Plan
NGN 500,000 - 999,999		 Max Plan
NGN 1,000,000+
MTN (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) NGN 7.5 NGN 7.0 NGN 6.8 NGN 6.5
E.g 40 seconds spent on a session will incur 2x the cost.

Pre Paid (End user pays for the cost of the session)

The telco deducts the cost of the session directly from the end users’ airtime. We charge an amount per session as well as indicated in the table below.
Telco Telco charge to end user Basic Plan
NGN 0 - 99,999		 Plus Plan
NGN 100,000 - 499,999		 Premium Plan
NGN 500,000 - 999,999		 Max Plan
NGN 1,000,000+
Airtel (Charges per 20 seconds of a session) NGN 4.89 NGN 2 NGN 1.5 NGN 1.2 NGN 0.9
Glo (Charges per 120 seconds of a session) NGN 10 NGN 2 NGN 1.5 NGN 1.2 NGN 0.9
9 Mobile (Charges per 20 seconds of a session) NGN 4.50 NGN 2 NGN 1.5 NGN 1.2 NGN 0.9



Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on MTN, Airtel and 9 Mobile and attract an overall monthly maintenance fee of NGN 70000 + 7.5% VAT



Application

Service Cost Paid to
USSD code acquisition NGN 11,500 NCC
Application Fee NGN 200,000 + 7.5% VAT AfricasTalking
Redeemable session cost NGN 225,000 + 7.5% VAT AfricasTalking
Monthly Maintenance NGN 70,000 + 7.5% VAT AfricasTalking

Post Paid (Owner of the code pays for the session costs)

Price per session

Telco Telco Charge to Code Owner AT Infrastructure fee
MTN (Charges per 20 seconds of a session) NGN 2.25 NGN 2.0
Airtel (Charges per 20 seconds of a session) NGN 6.98(Banks/MFBs) NGN 2.0

Airtel Session Charges for Non-MFBs (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session)

Session Band Telco Charge to Code Owner AT Infrastructure fee
<10 mn NGN 4.0 NGN 2.0
10mn - 19.99mn NGN 3.5 NGN 2.0
20mn - 39.99mn NGN 3.0 NGN 2.0
>40mn NGN 2.5 NGN 2.0

Pre Paid (End user pays for the cost of the session)

Price per session

The telco deducts the cost of the session directly from the end users' airtime. We charge an amount per session as well as indicated in the table below.

Telco Telco Charge to end user AT Infrastructure fee
Airtel (Charges per 20 seconds of a session) NGN 4.89 NGN 2.0
9 Mobile (Charges per 20 seconds of a session) NGN 4.50 NGN 2.0

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on Airtel

Type Cost
Set Up Cost Free
Monthly Maintenance MWK 25,000



Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on TNM and Airtel

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost

Application

Service Cost Paid to
USSD code acquisition Free MACRA
Setup Fee MWK 350,000 AfricasTalking

Services

Telco Monthly Maintenance Fee Session Cost
Airtel MWK 209700 MWK 25
TNM MWK 139800 MWK 55 per minute

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on Airtel and MTN

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Service Cost
One off setup fee ZMW 1000
Monthly maintenance fee ZMW 6000
Session cost ZMW 1 per Telco



Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Airtel, MTN and Zamtel

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost

Application

Service Cost Paid to
USSD code acquisition ZMW 42000 ZICTA
USSD licence renewal ZMW 30000 ZICTA

Services

Type Cost
Integration cost ZMW 5000 per telco
Monthly maintenance fee ZMW 10000 (Airtel), ZWM 10000 (MTN), ZMW 15000 (Zamtel)
Session cost ZMW 1 per session per telco

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on MTN, Vodacom, CellC and Telkom.

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Set Up Cost Free
Monthly maintenance fee ZAR 1,000
Post-Paid costs per session (Cost is covered by the code owner)
Network Cost
All telcos ZAR 0.50 (per 20 seconds)
Pre-Paid costs per session (Cost is covered by the end user)
The telco deducts the cost of the session directly from the end users’ airtime. We charge an amount per session as well as indicated in the table below.
Network Cost
All telcos ZAR 0.25 (per 20 seconds)


Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on MTN, Vodacom, CellC and Telkom.

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost

Type Cost
Set up cost (One off) ZAR 5000
Monthly maintenance fee ZAR 5000
Post-Paid costs per session (Cost is covered by the code owner)
Network Cost
Vodacom, MTN and Telkom CellC ZAR 0.50 (per 20 seconds)
Pre-Paid costs per session (Cost is covered by the end user)
The telco deducts the cost of the session directly from the end users’ airtime. We charge an amount per session as well as indicated in the table below.
Network Cost
Vodacom, MTN and Telkom CellC ZAR 0.25 (per 20 seconds)

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on MTN, Airtel Tigo and Vodafone

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Monthly maintenance fee GHS 900
Session Cost GHS 0.015


Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on MTN, Airtel Tigo and Vodafone

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Fee (Paid annually) GHS 2,100
USSD Set up cost (One off) GHS 2,600
Telco Set up cost (One off) Airtel Tigo (GHS 3000)
Monthly maintenance fee GHS 3,000 per Telco
Session Cost GHS 0.015

Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on MTN, Orange, Camtel and Nextel

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 1,100,000
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 2,200,000
Telco Monthly maintenance fee CFA 50,000 per Telco
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 250

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on Econet, Lumitel and Smart.

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Set up cost (One off) BIF 397,850
Annual Fee BIF 397,850
Session Cost BIF 55

Monthly maintenance fees

Telco Cost
Econet BIF 150,830
Lumitel BIF 75,600
Smart BIF 45,220


Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Econet, Lumitel and Smart

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee BIF 4,050,000
Regulator Annual Fee BIF 4,050,000
Econet Monthly maintenance fee BIF 1,540,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Lumitel Monthly maintenance fee BIF 770,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Smart Monthly maintenance fee BIF 461,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost BIF 55

Shared USSD Code

A shared USSD code will be raised on MTN and Orange

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Set up cost (One off) CFA 550,000
Annual Fee CFA 240,000
Session Cost CFA 40

Monthly maintenance fees

Telco Cost
MTN CFA 35,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Orange CFA 35,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year


Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on MTN and Orange

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 250,000
Telco Setup Fee CFA 1,250,000 per telco
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 1,200,000
MTN Monthly maintenance fee CFA 170,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Orange Monthly maintenance fee CFA 170,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 40

Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Orange and Malitel

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 370,000
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 1,100,000
Telco Setup Fee CFA 730,000 per Telco
Telco Monthly maintenance fee CFA 170,000 per Telco
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 25

Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Moov and Togocel

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 370,000
Telco Setup Fee CFA 370,000 per Telco
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 370,000
Telco Monthly maintenance fee CFA 42,000 per Telco
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 10

Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Orange, Free and Expresso

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 400,000
Telco Setup Fee CFA 400,000 per Telco
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 600,000
Telco Monthly maintenance fee CFA 63,000 per Telco
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 20

Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Orange and Airtel

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 370,000
Airtel Setup Fee CFA 370,000
Orange Setup Fee CFA 1,500,000
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 750,000
Airtel Monthly maintenance fee CFA 42,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Orange Monthly maintenance fee CFA 125,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 25

Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Orange, MTN and Cellcom

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 370,000
Telco Setup Fee CFA 730,000 per Telco
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 750,000
Orange Monthly maintenance fee CFA 84,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
MTN Monthly maintenance fee CFA 84,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Cellcom Monthly maintenance fee CFA 420,000
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 42

Dedicated USSD Code

A dedicated USSD code will be raised on MTN and Moov

A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Type Cost
Regulator Setup Fee CFA 350,000
Telco Setup Fee CFA 350,000 per Telco
Regulator Annual Fee CFA 350,000
Telco Monthly maintenance fee CFA 42,000 per Telco
Minimum commitment of 1-year
Session Cost CFA 10

Ready to get started?

Yes, Sign me up!