Airtime is now in DRC!
Send virtual discounted airtime across DRC. Talk to us to get started.
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
This is a three digit code for example *483# that is used solely by one user for their company or service.
This is a code that is used by multiple companies or services. Each company is allocated a channel on our dedicated codes, for example *483*X#
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 storyGive access to structured information from your application with USSD menus. The interactive nature can layer leading questions to deliver the right information.
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.
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.
Our USSD gateway is built to handle thousands of concurrent API requests at any one time.
Choose between pre-paid and post paid billing options depending on your business needs.
We have made it easy for a developer to build and deploy a USSD application within minutes.
USSD Code | Set Up | Monthly Maintenance |
---|---|---|
*483*X# or *789*X# | Free | KES 40,000 |
*483*XX# or *789*XX# | Free | KES 30,000 |
*483*XXX# or *789*XXX# | Free | KES 20,000 |
483*XXXX# or *789*XXXX# and more | Free | KES 10,000 |
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 |
Telco | Test Bed | Set Up Cost | Deposit(One Off) | Monthy Maintenance (*XXX#) | Monthy Maintenance (*XXX*X#) And More |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Safaricom | KES 17,400 | KES 145,000 | KES 70,000 | KES 58,000 | |
Airtel | KES 116,000 | KES 46,400 | |||
Telkom | KES 17,400 | KES 58,000 | KES 28,500 | KES 40,600 | |
Equitel | KES 15,000 | KES 60,000 | KES 58,000 |
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 |
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 |
Equitel | KES 1 | KES 0.25 |
Type | Cost |
---|---|
Set Up Cost | Free |
Monthly Maintenance (Postpaid) | UGX 500,000 |
Monthly Maintenance (Prepaid) | UGX 700,000 |
A compulsory deposit of UGX 250,000 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.
* Airtel is time-based
E.g 60 seconds spent on a session will incur 3x the costs.
Network | Telco charge to the end user | Africa’s Talking Infrastructure Fee |
---|---|---|
MTN | UGX 35 (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) |
UGX 10 (Charges are per 180 seconds of a session) |
Airtel | UGX 35 (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) |
UGX 10 (Charges are per 180 seconds of a session) |
Service | Cost | Paid to |
---|---|---|
Code application fee | USD 250 + 18% VAT | UCC |
Initial Entry fee | USD 1,000 + 18% VAT | UCC |
Code annual fee | USD 10,000 + 18% VAT | UCC |
Code connectivity to networks (per Telco) | UGX 450,000 | Telcos |
Setup fee | UGX 1,100,000 | Africa's Talking |
Monthly maintenance fee | UGX 500,000 | Africa's Talking |
A compulsory deposit of UGX 250,000 is required for the session cost
* MTN is time-basedNetwork | Cost |
---|---|
MTN (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) | UGX 45 |
Airtel (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) | UGX 45 |
Network | Telco charge to the end user | Africa’s Talking Infrastructure Fee |
---|---|---|
MTN | UGX 35 (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) |
UGX 10 (Charges are per 180 seconds of a session) |
Airtel | UGX 35 (Charges are per 20 seconds of a session) |
UGX 10 (Charges are per 180 seconds of a session) |
A shared USSD code will be raised on Airtel, Tigo and Vodacom. The setup is FREE and the overall monthly maintenance fee is $110
A compulsory deposit of TZS 150,000 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 |
A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Airtel, Tigo and Vodacom and attract an overall annual administration fee of TZS 1,600,000
A compulsory deposit of TZS 150,000 is required for the session cost
Service | Cost | Paid to |
---|---|---|
USD 2,000 | TCRA | USSD code Acquisition |
USD 2,500 | TCRA | USSD Licence Renewal |
USD 50 | TCRA | Application Fee |
TZS 1,600,000 | Africa's Talking | Administration Fee |
Mobile Operator | Annual Fee | Set up |
---|---|---|
USD 200 | USD 700 | Airtel |
USD 50 | Free | Tigo |
USD 50 | Free | Vodacom |
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 |
A shared USSD code will be raised on MTN & Airtel.
A compulsory deposit of RWF 90,600 is required for the session cost
Service | Cost |
---|---|
One off setup fee | RWF 86,500 |
Monthly maintenance fee | RWF 26,000 |
Session cost | RWF 13 per Telco |
A compulsory deposit of RWF 90,600 is required for the session cost
Service | Cost |
---|---|
RURA Application Fee | RWF 25,000 |
RURA USSD fee (Paid annually) | RWF 1,300,000 |
Telco | Set up fee(One off) | Monthly maintenance fee | Session Cost |
---|---|---|---|
MTN | RWF 100,000 | RWF 259,500 | RWF 13 |
Airtel | RWF 150,000 | RWF 259,500 | RWF 13 |
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 |
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.
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 2.00 | NGN 1.50 | NGN 1.20 | NGN 0.90 |
Glo (Charges per 120 seconds of a session) |
NGN 10 | NGN 2.00 | NGN 1.50 | NGN 1.20 | NGN 0.90 |
9 Mobile (Charges per 20 seconds of a session) |
4.50 | NGN 2.00 | NGN 1.50 | NGN 1.20 | NGN 0.90 |
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
Service | Cost | Paid to |
---|---|---|
USSD Application | NGN 11,500 | NCC |
USSD Code Acquisition | NGN 100,000 + 7.5% VAT | Africa's Talking |
Integration | NGN 100,000 + 7.5% VAT | Africa's Talking |
Connection to MTN (All Sectors) | NGN 500,000 + 7.5% VAT | Africa's Talking |
Connection to 9 Mobile (Financial Institutions) | NGN 770,000 | 9 Mobile |
Redeemable session cost | NGN 225,000 + 7.5% VAT | Africa's Talking |
Monthly Maintenance | NGN 70,000 + 7.5% VAT | Africa's Talking |
Telco | Telco Charge to Code Owner | AT Infrastructure fee |
---|---|---|
MTN (Charges per 120 seconds of a session) |
NGN 6.98 (Banks/MFBs) | NGN 2.0 |
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 |
Session Band: Transaction Counts/20 seconds | Telco Charge to Code Owner per 20 seconds | AT Infrastructure fee |
---|---|---|
100,000 - 10,000,000 | NGN 4.0 | NGN 2.0 |
10,000,000 - 19,999,999 | NGN 3.5 | NGN 2.0 |
20,000,000 - 39,999,999 | NGN 3.0 | NGN 2.0 |
40,000,000+ | NGN 2.5 | NGN 2.0 |
Session Band: Transaction Counts/20 seconds | Telco Charge to Code Owner per 20 seconds | AT Infrastructure fee |
---|---|---|
100,000 | NGN 4.10 | NGN 2.0 |
250,000 | NGN 3.89 | NGN 2.0 |
500,000 | NGN 3.69 | NGN 2.0 |
1,000,000 | NGN 3.48 | NGN 2.0 |
2,500,000 | NGN 3.28 | NGN 2.0 |
5,000,000 | NGN 3.07 | NGN 2.0 |
10,000,000 | NGN 2.87 | NGN 2.0 |
20,000,000+ | NGN 2.56 | NGN 2.0 |
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 |
A shared USSD code will be raised on Airtel
Type | Cost |
---|---|
Set Up Cost | Free |
Monthly Maintenance | MWK 25,000 |
A dedicated USSD code will be raised on TNM and Airtel
A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
ApplicationService | Cost | Paid to |
---|---|---|
USSD code acquisition | Free | MACRA |
Setup Fee | MWK 400,000 | AfricasTalking |
Telco | Monthly Maintenance Fee | Session Cost |
---|---|---|
Airtel | MWK 280,000 | MWK 25 |
TNM | MWK 250,000 | MWK 25 |
A shared USSD code will be raised on Airtel, MTN and Zamtel
A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
Telco | Set Up (One-off) | Monthly Maintenance Fee |
---|---|---|
Airtel, MTN & Zamtel | ZMW 1,000 | ZMW 6,000 |
Postpaid costs per session (Owner of the code is charged for the session)
Basic Plan (ZMW 0 - 2,499) |
Plus Plan (ZMW 2,500 - 12,499) |
Premium Plan (ZMW 12,500 - 49,999) |
Max Plan (ZMW 50,000+) |
---|---|---|---|
ZMW 0.10 | ZMW 0.08 | ZMW 0.07 | ZMW 0.06 |
A dedicated USSD code will be raised on Airtel, MTN and Zamtel
A compulsory deposit of $100 is required for the session cost
ApplicationService | Cost | Paid to |
---|---|---|
USSD code acquisition | ZMW 42,000 | ZICTA |
USSD licence renewal | ZMW 30,000 | ZICTA |
Telco | Integration Cost | Monthly Maintenance Fee |
---|---|---|
Airtel | ZMW 5,000 | ZMW 10,000 |
MTN | ZMW 5,000 | ZMW 10,000 |
Zamtel | ZMW 5,000 | ZMW 15,000 |
Postpaid costs per session (Owner of the code is charged for the session)
Basic Plan (ZMW 0 - 2,499) |
Plus Plan (ZMW 2,500 - 12,499) |
Premium Plan (ZMW 12,500 - 49,999) |
Max Plan (ZMW 50,000+) |
---|---|---|---|
ZMW 0.10 | ZMW 0.08 | ZMW 0.07 | ZMW 0.06 |
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 |
Network | Cost |
---|---|
All Telcos | ZAR 0.50 (per 20 seconds) |
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) |
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 | ZAR 4,200 |
Monthly Maintenance Fee | ZAR 3,500 |
Network | Cost |
---|---|
Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and CellC | ZAR 0.50 (per 20 seconds) |
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, Telkom and CellC | ZAR 0.25 (per 20 seconds) |
Type | Cost |
---|---|
Free | USSD Set Up Fee |
GHC 900 | Monthly Maintenance Fee |
GHC 0.03 | Postpaid Session Cost |
Type | Cost |
---|---|
GHS 2,100 | Annual Regulator Fee (3 Digit Code) |
GHS 500 | Annual Regulator Fee (4 Digit Code) |
GHS 3,500 | MTN Set up Fee (One off) |
GHS 3,500 | Airtel Tigo Set up Fee (One off) |
GHS 4,500 | Telecel Set up Fee (One off) |
GHS 3,500 | Monthly maintenance fee (MTN) |
GHS 3,500 | Monthly maintenance fee (Airtel Tigo) |
GHS 4,000 | Monthly maintenance fee (Vodafone) |
GHS 0.03 | Postpaid session cost |