Sh Rajesh Gera, DDG, NIC
19 th June 2014
Vigyan Bhawan
New Delhi

• USSD : Unstructured Supplementary Service Data
(USSD)
• Can be accessed any GSM handset.
• No special app required on mobile handset.
• User dials a short code from their Handset.
• User choose between various options provided in a menu.

• The progress of one session into the next depends on the user's response.
• USSD messages in English : 150 alphanumeric characters in length
• USSD messages in local language :45 to 60 characters in length
• Local language support depended on handset.
• Two-way exchange of a sequence of data mobile handset and the application

USSD
Session Based
SMS
Store and Forward
Displays directly on phone screen
Access SMS through phone menu
Shorter Response Time
(60sec)
Longer Response Time
Is not stored in the handset, is present in the virtual mobile home environment
Present in the handset, can be stored and forwarded
Menu driven interface facilitates interactivity
Interactivity requires user to send a separate response SMS

• Currently Works only on AIRTEL,TATA,BSNL & IDEA
SIM ( prepaid or Post paid)
• *491# is the short code allocated to NIC by the telecom service providers
• Based on the E-Application which gets integrated ,
USSD short-code is assigned eg : *491*105# for
Agriculture , *491*101# for MCTS health etc.
• There is a time limit of 60sec for sending the response in a menu and 3 min for the entire session
• If response is not received in 60seconds the USSD session will be disconnected