Nigerians don begin reason how di new Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD ) charges go affect di pocket of mobile banking users wey go now pay ₦6.98 flat fee for any transaction.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) introduce dis new charge to end di disagreement between banks and telecoms operators and e go begin take effect from From Tuesday, March 16.
Dis new charges according to CBN na part of di agreement wey dem reach wen di banks and telecommunication operators been meet on Monday to discuss di N42bn debt wey banks dey owe mobile operators.
CBN and NCC tok say dem go collect di new USSD charge on behalf of Mobile Network Operators directly from customers' bank accounts.
"Banks no go impose additional charges on customers for di use of di USSD channel," CBN and NCC tok for one statement.
Wetin be [USSD meaning] and [USSD banking]
USSD mean Unstructured Supplementary Service Data wey dey allow pipo without smartphone or data or internet connection to use mobile banking through code.
Dis Unstructured Supplementary Service Data dey similar to Short Message Service (SMS) but difference dey between dem.
With USSD, users dey interact directly from dia mobile phones by making dia own selections from different menu's.
Unlike SMS message, during USSD session, di USSD message create real-time connection. Dis one mean say USSD dey enable two-way communication of information, as long as di communication line remain open. And so both questions and answers dey happun almost di same time.
Use of USSD
Pipo fit use ussd for different purpose like;
- Mobile banking: di use of USSD for mobile banking no dey like banking apps wey need internet access and smartphone before e fit work
Network configuration and requests: dem dey use USSD to configure user mobile device on di network. E dey also provide menu of service options wey user fit choose from for things like buying
Customer update requests: USSD fit join with enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) systems to request updated customer information. Dis dey help for better customer service and data accuracy.
Marketing surveys: dem fit use USSD for mobile marketing. For example, organizations fit send marketing surveys wey users fit respond to immediately, dis dey help companies to get customer feedback in real time.
Callback services: Service organizations, like insurance providers and financial services companies, fit use USSD to know about customers interests by enabling dem to request callbacks afta dem present dia offers.
Order confirmations: Food delivery providers fit use USSD to enable two-way communication between customers wey dey place orders and di vendors to alert customers wen dia orders dey on di way.
Coupons and vouchers: Retailers fit use USSD to communicate special offers to customers, plus send coupons and vouchers.
