Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), will now start the deployment of uniform shortcodes, five years after they shared a report on them. Customers of various cell providers and banks can use the same USSD codes to check their airtime balance, purchase airtime, and even conduct financial transactions thanks to harmonized shortcodes. The main justification for harmonization is that it will result in a more unified regulatory framework and facilitate simple memorization.
Halting Of Customer Awareness-Raising
In Nigeria, there are currently around four main mobile network operators and about 21 commercial banks.
The majority of these organizations have given their clients shortcodes for crucial services including airtime and data recharging, balance checking, borrowing, and transferring.
Examples of these well-known codes are *737# from GTCO and *556# from MTN, with the former becoming well-known due to numerous radio jingles and TV commercials.
This means that all marketing and customer awareness efforts for such banks and businesses would be put on hold as they concentrate on the combined promotion of the new harmonized codes.
The advantage is that all clients won’t have to constantly Google their bank or cell provider’s code when needed.
NCC Goal
NCC’s goal in the harmonization effort is to implement international best practices in Nigerian telecoms. Globally, standardized shortcodes are widespread, and Ghana implemented them in 2014.
The migration to a new set of codes will be finished by May 17th, 2023, which will signal the end of the viability of previous shortcodes, according to the Association of Licenced Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON).
The only method for sending commands on mobile devices will then remain the proposed new shortcodes. The harmonized shortcodes that have been suggested are 300 for contact centers, 303 for airtime borrowing services, 310 for checking balances, 311 for credit recharge, 312 for data plans, and 2442 for porting services.
For frequent orders, a typical Nigerian with one sim card and one bank account will need to memorize five to ten shortcodes. One can only imagine how many shortcodes the typical Nigerian must remember because the majority of them utilize numerous mobile network operators and manage multiple accounts. The NCC aims to alter this scenario.
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