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USSD the Asia-Pacific Market

As the Asian telecommunications sphere becomes increasingly competitive, mobile operators must anticipate trends and constantly review their multimedia portfolio. Beyond the content itself, the underlying technology on which services are run and the perceived quality of service by customers are areas that Sicap enables operators to succeed in.

The Sicap approach involves a targeted, creative focus on the software features necessary to optimize resources. Using the USSD bearer channel is a way to provide interactive dialogue between service applications and the mobile user with fast and predictable response time.

In terms of service access, the Sicap USSD Menu Browser (UMB) allows operators to bring all their services (VAS) under one access code, simplifying updates, user access and marketing of the services. UMB does not require an operator to run an over the air platform to manage service menus, as all data is stored in the network, not on the SIM card or handset. Polyphonic ring tones, pictures, video clips, java games, quizzes, news, weather forecast, train schedules and TV guides are all examples of content services that can be reached through a single USSD code and presented in a user-friendly menu.
In terms of self-care, UMB can be used for account-related activities such as balance enquiries, account top-ups, credit transfers, change of subscription information and subscription to new services. Because users can handle their requests without help, the obvious financial gain for operators is that calls to customer care services are greatly reduced. USSD short codes work from all over the World and there are no interoperability issues, so access is seamless, even when roaming. The advantage for customers is that they have readily available information at their fingertips at all times. The menu is easy to use and self explanatory. A return message for a USSD request takes 2-3 seconds! Moreover, all handsets, even the most basic models, support USSD, so service availability is never an issue.

UMB can be extended to offer innovative location-based services. :A subscriber can for instance search for restaurants in his direct neighbourhood, delivered using ATI retrieval of the Cell ID of the initialized request. Other uses of USSD include Sicap's Pay4Me, the reverse-charge call solution. Even prepaid customers with no remaining credit can send a USSD request for a third party to pay for a call. Sicap's Pay4Me handles the transaction and debits the third party account accordingly.

Sicap first gained a foothold in the region in the nineties through implementations on the Malaysian network operated by DiGi. As a result, DiGi became the first operator in Malaysia to offer pre-paid roaming to its customers. Since then, Sicap has expanded across South East Asia.