SMS+ has the potential to replace USSD

20 Jun 2017

SMS+ is a next-generation SMS (short message service) which, reportedly, has the potential to replace the two-decade-old USSD (unstructured supplementary data service).

"SMS+ has the potential to completely replace USSD. This means over 35 million people needn't pay 20 cents per 20 seconds to interact with old-style USSD menus. That's an incredible saving to local consumers who now have to contend with an economy in recession," says Ongopotse Motlhanke, chief operations officer of Archer Digital.

The company's SMS+ service is reportedly already in commercial use by one of South Africa's big four banks and is currently being trialled by a multimedia company.

How it works

SMS+ takes the conversational element of USSD and adds layers of simplicity and functionality while greatly enhancing consumer-facing reliability. Instead of featuring a transient USSD menu that countless mobile users have seen disappear for no apparent reason, SMS+ does not require new sessions for each new interaction by the user and consumers can store SMS+ messages in their inboxes as useful references.

"We expect tremendous uptake for SMS+ from organisations wanting to engage in two-way communication with their customers that offers a degree of intelligence while adding the zero-rated aspect for even greater client service," concludes Motlhanke.