“Workshop on ICT Applications in Agriculture” Sh Rajesh Gera, DDG, NIC 19th June 2014 Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi

USSD SERVICE 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.

USSD Architechure

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 vs SMS USSD SMS Session Based 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

NIC USSD 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

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