Selecting the right USSD gateway provider is a decision that carries long-term
consequences. Get it right, and you gain a platform that is reliable,
scalable, and ready for 5G. Get it wrong, and you may end up locked into
vendor restrictions, frustrated users, and costly redesigns.
The choice isn’t just technical, it directly impacts customer experience, service uptime, and future readiness. A forward-looking provider ensures your business can adapt quickly as networks evolve and user expectations rise.
The numbers tell a clear story: USSD is far from obsolete. According to GSMA, nine in ten mobile money transactions in Sub-Saharan Africa still happen over USSD. In Nigeria alone, mobile transactions surged by 82.6% in 2020, reaching 1.69 billion. Of those, USSD accounted for 35% , proving its continued dominance. At the same time, 5G is scaling fast. By 2025, it is expected to capture 25% of global mobile connections. Providers that lack IMS integration risk being left behind as 3G networks are decommissioned.
A provider worth trusting should deliver:
The hSenid USSD Gateway has been engineered to solve the very problems that derail many projects:
Choosing the right USSD gateway provider isn’t just about meeting today’s needs; it’s about building a foundation for the next decade of growth. As 5G adoption accelerates and 3G sunsets, the gap between providers that are IMS-ready and those that aren’t will only widen. USSD remains central to mobile money, digital inclusion, and customer engagement, and its relevance is far from fading. That’s why your provider must deliver on scale, flexibility, and innovation without locking you into outdated systems or hidden limitations. With hSenid Mobile’s USSD Gateway ,you get future-proof connectivity, smarter user journeys, and seamless integrations that empower both operators and enterprises. Now is the time to choose reliability, agility, and innovation because your customers deserve nothing less.
The choice isn’t just technical, it directly impacts customer experience, service uptime, and future readiness. A forward-looking provider ensures your business can adapt quickly as networks evolve and user expectations rise.
Why So Many Providers Fall Short
- Limited network compatibility: Some providers only support legacy 2G and 3G networks. With 4G and 5G already dominating, this leads to service failures. If your gateway isn’t IMS-ready, customers on LTE or 5G could see broken sessions or be forced into circuit-switched fallback (CSFB).
- Fragile session management: USSD is session-based, and every timeout matters. Without smart handling, customers are forced to restart menus from scratch. Look for session resuming capabilities that allow users to pick up where they left off.
- Closed systems and vendor lock-in: Without open APIs, integrating banking cores, CRMs, or fintech applications becomes a slow and expensive process.
- Rigid charging models: Some platforms only allow per-session billing, while others only allow per-request. A robust gateway should offer flexible charging options that integrate with existing OCS (Online Charging Systems).
- Poor menu creation tools: If your teams need developers to change simple menu text, you’re wasting time. A modern USSD gateway provider should offer a drag-and-drop menu designer, automatic pagination, shortcuts (home/back), and even AI/ML-powered recommendations for faster discovery.
- Lack of visibility: Without reporting and analytics, you can’t optimize services. Strong gateways come with CDRs, usage reports, scheduling, and filtering by subscriber class, time, or location, giving operators actionable insights.
Why This Matters Now
The numbers tell a clear story: USSD is far from obsolete. According to GSMA, nine in ten mobile money transactions in Sub-Saharan Africa still happen over USSD. In Nigeria alone, mobile transactions surged by 82.6% in 2020, reaching 1.69 billion. Of those, USSD accounted for 35% , proving its continued dominance. At the same time, 5G is scaling fast. By 2025, it is expected to capture 25% of global mobile connections. Providers that lack IMS integration risk being left behind as 3G networks are decommissioned.
What to Expect from a Future-Ready USSD Gateway
A provider worth trusting should deliver:
- Effortless network integration across 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G with IMS-ready SIP connectors
- Massive scalability—benchmarks of 45 million daily transactions and 15,000 TPS
- Resilient session control, including time-out handling and resumption
- Open APIs for easy third-party integration
- Flexible billing models aligned with charging systems
- Smarter user experiences, from multi-language menus to AI-assisted navigation
- Actionable insights with detailed reporting and analytics
hSenid Mobile’s Approach
The hSenid USSD Gateway has been engineered to solve the very problems that derail many projects:
- Built-in SIGTRAN stack reduces costs by eliminating expensive SS7 cards.
- IMS-ready SIP integration ensures smooth operation over 4G and 5G.
- Session resuming feature restores user journeys after network interruptions.
- Drag-and-drop menu designer allows non-technical teams to build menus quickly.
- AI/ML-driven menus recommend most-used services and allow keyword search.
- Flexible charging models—per session or per request—adaptable to operator policies.
- Proven scalability: 45M+ daily transactions and up to 15,000 TPS.
Quick Checklist Before Signing with a USSD Provider
- Does it support IMS for 5G?
- Can it resume sessions after timeouts?
- Are APIs open and developer-friendly?
- Does it offer multi-language menus and AI-powered navigation?
- Can it scale to millions of daily transactions?
- Does it provide reporting and flexible charging models?
Conclusion
Choosing the right USSD gateway provider isn’t just about meeting today’s needs; it’s about building a foundation for the next decade of growth. As 5G adoption accelerates and 3G sunsets, the gap between providers that are IMS-ready and those that aren’t will only widen. USSD remains central to mobile money, digital inclusion, and customer engagement, and its relevance is far from fading. That’s why your provider must deliver on scale, flexibility, and innovation without locking you into outdated systems or hidden limitations. With hSenid Mobile’s USSD Gateway ,you get future-proof connectivity, smarter user journeys, and seamless integrations that empower both operators and enterprises. Now is the time to choose reliability, agility, and innovation because your customers deserve nothing less.
