While on one hand both USSD and SMS appear similar technically and functionally, there are considerable

and significant differences in their technologies and features. The basic difference between the two technologies is that while USSD is session-based, SMS uses the store-and-forward approach. When a Subscriber accesses a USSD-based application, a session is established, which remains open over a radio connection till the Subscriber terminates the application. The table below presents a feature-based comparison of both the technologies. The winning approach from the Operators point of view is to combine USSD with SMS by setting new quality standards. Features USSD SMS

Use of Signaling Channels * *

Use of Voice Channels

X *

Type of Functionality

Session

Store & Forward

Message Length (7 bit character)

182 (160 bytes)

160 (140 bytes)

Duration of Transaction

1 sec

7 sec

Address Book

Fast Dial Keys

Support for 7,8 16 bit Encoding

Guarantee of Message Delivery

Interface

TCP/IP

SS7

Analogy

Web browsing

e-mail

Even though there are so many new technologies available for creating mobile applications, there is still a market for the old fashioned USSD applications.

USSD or Unstructured Supplementary Service Data is a capability of all GSM phones. It is generally associated with real-time or instant messaging type phone services. There is no store-and-forward capability that is typical of normal short messages (in other words, an SMSC is not present in the processing path). Response times for interactive USSD-based services are generally quicker than those used for SMS.

A sample USSD service is the bill status service accessed by dialing *141# or similar numbers in between * and #. USSD applications can be thought of as an IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) with out voice.

Some of the USSD applications that we use regularly are:

Alerts About special offers, services and news

Balance enquiry

Changing tariff plan and subscribing to various VAS services.

Recharging using prepaid vouchers

Other than these many interesting services <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/interesting-services> can be given using the USSD platform. One such service is the call back service. The user will use USSD to send a USSD message to his friend asking him to call back. This is done by

pressing the USSD service number and the number to which the alert needs to be send. Assume 14 is the service number and you want me to call you back. Press this on your mobile and press dial.

*14*9846831128#

I will receive a message, XXXXXXXXXX wants you to call him back where XXXXXXXXXX will be your number.

USSD supports interactive sessions where a service can be provided by using a menu. Micro payment market gets a real boom with the USSD technology in place. Users can transfer money from their mobile prepaid and post paid account to other mobile accounts. There will be a service number associated with it. When the user presses the number and dials, he will be presented with menus where he has to enter the amount and the mobile number to which the money needs to be transferred. USSD is a session oriented technology and hence it supports menus and transactions. The state of the interaction between the user is tracked by the USSD server. Response times for USSD messages are shorter than SMS because SMS is a store and forward technology. All USSD services are accessed by dialing numbers between * and #. The handset recognizes those numbers and forwards the request to the USSD server instead of initializing a normal call or a data call. No additional application, phone menu or sim menu is needed for USSD to function as USSD is supported by every GSM handset.

<http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mAJDMuyu_WI/SIuRUo0KeRI/AAAAAAAAAnA/07ia_lIZkdU/s1600 -h/USSD_Architecture.gif>

Barclays has started a Hello Money service in India. This is a USSD based service and quick demo can be viewed here <http://www.barclays.co.in/hellomoney/> .

A similar service is being tested in Kenya <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8764&Itemid=581 2> called Commerce 360. Commerce 360 will link banks, utility services and other companies with the mobile phone owners <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/mobile-phone-owners> . Other than Kenya, Cellulant <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/cellulant> which is one and half year old has subsidiaries in Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria in which it intends take the Commerce 360 mobile banking solution if it succeeds in the Kenyan market.

Finally if interested here is a youtube video from late early 2000s showing USSD in practice.

Incoming search terms for the article:

* gold.html>

recharging using prepaid vouchers ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-

ussd in nigeria <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

ussd for voice <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

ussd market <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

commerce 360 kenya <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

verizon ussd services <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

ussd market india - 2010 <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

ussd nigeria <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

ussd number plan <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

wimax ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/ussd-old-is-gold.html>

Tags: 3gpp ussd call back <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/3gpp-ussd-call-back> , Banking Solution <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/banking-solution> , barclays ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/barclays-ussd> , blackberry verizon ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/blackberry-verizon-ussd> , Bsnl Ussd mobile banking <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/bsnl-ussd-mobile-banking> , Call Back Service <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/call-back-service> , Cellulant <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/cellulant> , commerce 360 kenya <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/commerce-360-kenya> , Gsm Phones <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/gsm-phones> , Interactive Voice Response <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/interactive-voice-response> , Interactive Voice Response System <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/interactive-voice-response-system> , Interesting Services <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/interesting-services> , iphone 3gs ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/iphone-3gs-ussd> , IPR on USSD <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ipr-on-ussd> , kenya ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/kenyaussd> , Last call cost ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/last-call-cost-ussd> , Mobile Phone Owners <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/mobile-phone-owners> , mobile-applications <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/mobile-applications> , mobile-banking <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/mobile-banking> , Money Service <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/money-service> , Platform One <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/platform-one> , recharge USSD <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/recharge-ussd> , Recharging using prepaid vouchers ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/recharging-using-prepaid-vouchers-ussd> , sestam recharge old 3g mobel <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/sestam-recharge-old-3g-mobel> , Short Messages <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/short-messages> , Smsc <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/smsc> , Supplementary Service <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/supplementary-service> , Tariff Plan <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/tariff-plan> , Unstructured Supplementary Service Data <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/unstructured-supplementary-service-data> , Ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd> , USSD advertising tariffs <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-advertising-tariffs> , USSD applications market <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-applications-market> , ussd barclays

<http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-barclays> , USSD Chat platform for operators India <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-chat-platform-for-operators-india> , ussd dialing <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-dialing> , ussd for voice <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussdfor-voice> , ussd in nigeria <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-in-nigeria> , USSD Kenya <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-kenya> , ussd laptop <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussdlaptop> , USSD m-banking iPhone <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-m-banking-iphone> , ussd market <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-market> , ussd market in Kenya <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-market-in-kenya> , USSD Market India - 2010 <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-market-india-2010> , USSD Nigeria <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-nigeria> , ussd number plan <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-number-plan> , ussd recharge india <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-recharge-india> , ussd service 2010 <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-service-2010> , ussd service sprint <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-service-sprint> , ussd solution <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-solution> , USSD Solution thailand <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-solution-thailand> , ussd solutions banking <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-solutions-banking> , USSD technology <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-technology> , ussd technology for mobile system <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-technology-for-mobile-system> , ussd technology in nigeria <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-technology-in-nigeria> , USSD technology price <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-technology-price> , ussd - 3G <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/ussd-%ec%84%9c%eb%b9%84%ec%8a%a4-3g> , VERIZON USSD services <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/verizon-ussd-services> , vodafone uk ussd prepaid <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/vodafone-uk-ussd-prepaid> , Voice Response System <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/voice-response-system> , what is the cost of ussd <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/what-is-the-cost-of-ussd> , Wimax USSD <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/wimax-ussd> , Xxxxxxxxxx <http://www.3gtech.info/tag/xxxxxxxxxx>

WAP -> Bearers

The WAP protocols are designed to operate over a variety of different bearer services, including short message, circuit-switched data, and packet data. The bearers offer differing levels of quality of service with respect to throughput, error rate, and delays. The WAP protocols are designed to compensate for or tolerate these varying level of service. Since the WDP layer provides the convergence between the bearer service and the rest of the WAP stack, the WDP specification [WDP] lists the bearers that are supported and the techniques used to allow WAP protocols to run over each bearer. The list of supported bearers will change over time with new bearers being added as the wireless market evolves.

Short Message Service

See about SMS <http://www.m-indya.com/sms/sms.htm>

for more information.

Given its limited length of 160 characters per short message, SMS <http://www.mindya.com/sms/sms.htm> may not be an adequate bearer for WAP because of the weight protocol of the protocol. The overhead of the WAP protocol that would be required to be transmitted in an SMS <http://www.m-indya.com/sms/sms.htm> message would mean that even for the simplest of transactions several SMS messages may in fact have to be sent. This means that using SMS <http://www.m-indya.com/sms/sms.htm> as a bearer can be a time consuming and expensive exercise. Only one network operator- SBC of the US- is known to be developing WAP services based on SMS <http://www.m-indya.com/sms/sms.htm> .

Circuit Switched Data

Most of the trial WAP based services use CSD as the underlying bearer. Since CSD has relatively few users currently, WAP could kickstart usage of and traffic generated by this bearer.

However, CSD lacks immediacy- a dial up connection taking about 10 seconds is required to connect the WAP client to the WAP Gateway, and this is the best case scenario when there is an complete end to end digital call- in the case of the need for analog modem handshaking (because the WAP phone does not support V.110 the digital protocol, or the WAP Gateway does not have a digital direct connection such as ISDN into the mobile network), the connect time is increased to about 30 seconds.

Unstructured Supplementary Services Data

Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) is a means of transmitting information or instructions over a GSM network. USSD has some similarities with SMS since both use the GSM network's signaling path. Unlike SMS, USSD is not a store and forward service and is sessionoriented such that when a user accesses a USSD service, a session is established and the radio connection stays open until the user, application, or time out releases it. This has more in common with Circuit Switched Data than SMS. USSD text messages can be up to 182 characters in length.

USSD has some advantages and disadvantages as a tool for deploying services on mobile networks:

* Turnaround response times for interactive applications are shorter for USSD than SMS because of the session-based feature of USSD, and because it is NOT a store and forward service. According to Nokia, USSD can be up to seven times faster than SMS to carry out the same two-way transaction.

* Users do not need to access any particular phone menu to access services with USSD they can enter the Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) command direct from the initial mobile phone screen.

* Because USSD commands are routed back to the home mobile network's Home Location Register (HLR), services based on USSD work just as well and in exactly the same way when users are roaming.

* Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) works on all existing GSM mobile phones.

Both SIM Application Toolkit and the Wireless Application Protocol support USSD.

* USSD Stage 2 has been incorporated into the GSM standard. Whereas USSD was previously a one way bearer useful for administrative purposes such as service access, Stage 2 is more advanced and interactive. By sending in a USSD2 command, the user can receive an information services menu. As such, USSD Stage 2 provides WAP-like features on EXISTING phones.

* USSD strings are typically complicated for the user to remember, involving the use of the "*" and "#" characters to denote the start and finish of the USSD string. However, USSD strings for regularly used services can be stored in the phonebook, reducing the need to remember and reenter them.

As such, USSD could be am ideal bearer for WAP on GSM networks.

Best regards,