Writing USSD client OR USSD Open Source/To be purchased Client

Question

My question is that is there any software/tool/library that is open source (ideally) or to be purchased, that I can u use to send and receive USSD messages? I would like that tool/library/software to connect to USSD gateway from my server and then send and receive messages for me. I just want to focus in writing the business logic of my application and nothing else. Its just like I am searching for a software/tool/library like Kannel (for SMS).

If theres no such tool/library/software then what needs to be done at client side to be able to effectively handle huge traffic while communicating with multiple USSD gateways?

I hope my question is clear!

Look forward to your answer

Answer 1

There seems to be a lot of renewed interest in USSD applications these days. SMPP is very widely used as an interface into USSD systems, and because of the flexible implementation of SMPP in NowSMS, the 2-way command facility can be a convenient platform for deploying USSD services.

All USSD codes are operator specific. So they are different from SMS short codes where, at least within country, there is interoperability support among the operators to allow cross operator short codes.

If you want to deploy a USSD application, then you need to be a mobile operator, or you need to do it through a connection to a mobile operator’s USSD gateway. You can’t just use a GSM modem. You can’t just go to a bulk SMS provider and get a connection.

So, when we get asked questions about USSD support, sometimes it is a technical curiosity question … people looking for potentially cheaper alternatives to SMS. In those cases, generally, it is not worth pursuing.

When interfacing with USSD, it is important to realize that each vendor’s USSD interface can be somewhat different.techniques for encoding these parameters.

Answer 2

You can take a look at the Mobicents Open Source USSD Gateway, which complements the suite of Mobicents telco middleware projects:

http://www.telestax.com/opensource/

http://code.google.com/p/ussdgateway/