Key Takeaways
- Scenario 646 is water-point / borehole outage report on *210# then a ticket SMS — not distribution-eve, surveys, *182#, KYC, disaster *999#, cash-for-work *721#, school-feeding *440#, complaint *155#, livestock *330#, or poll *180#.
- USSD opens the outage. SMS returns the ticket id. Do not log GPS in gateway payloads.
- Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit. Free is 300 SMS lifetime, 1 device. Developer is 25,000 SMS per year.
- Starter is 2 devices; the WASH spare still counts.
- Donate lists stay off the ticket radio until the morning queue drains.
- Canary both radios at 06:50 before the first *210# wave.
Summary
Scenario 646 is water-point outage intake: a caretaker dials *210#, then a ticket SMS returns the case id.Service pricing is based on device count and total SMS sent through the gateway. You need a working Android phone with a SIM and SMS credit from your mobile operator. Operator message costs are yours—we do not sell carrier SMS balance.
If the short code works and the ticket radio is dark, you collected dry pumps nobody can quote to the repair crew.
Not a CodeCanyon “WASH SMS” pack. Device meters apply — Twilio vs Android SMS gateway.
Key takeaways
- Scenario 646 is water-point / borehole outage report on *210# then a ticket SMS — not distribution-eve, surveys, *182#, KYC, disaster *999#, cash-for-work *721#, school-feeding *440#, complaint *155#, livestock *330#, or poll *180#.
- USSD opens the outage. SMS returns the ticket id. Do not log GPS in gateway payloads.
- Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit. Free is 300 SMS lifetime, 1 device. Developer is 25,000 SMS per year.
- Starter is 2 devices; the WASH spare still counts.
- Donate lists stay off the ticket radio until the morning queue drains.
- Canary both radios at 06:50 before the first *210# wave.
Related reading
USSD gateway use cases, two-way SMS, how an Android SMS gateway works, UNICEF WASH.
Context
Pumps fail at dawn. Feature phones still dial USSD. Fundraising wants the same hour.
Free (300 SMS lifetime) is a rehearsal desk. Developer is 25,000 SMS per year.
Core scenario guidance
USSD first. Ticket SMS only after a successful session. Duplicates on the same point_code flag a supervisor.
Hold donate until the queue drains. Locale is the district, not HQ.
Borehole vs ticket roles
| Role | When | Typical fail |
|---|---|---|
| USSD *210# report | 05:30–18:00 local | Short-code down; paper log with no ticket |
| Ticket SMS | After USSD success | Queued behind donate |
| Duplicate / same point | Same point_code twice | Second ticket without supervisor flag |
| Donate / newsletter | Held until queue drain | Released at 07:00 into tickets |
Cost and ownership
Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit. The WASH spare is a billed device. Tickets burn airtime.
Name a 06:15–18:00 on-call for outage days, not only HQ hours.
Operations
06:50 canary both radios and a test *210#. Abort: hold donate, keep tickets. Do not “resend all points.”
Security and compliance
No GPS or caretaker names in gateway logs if policy forbids. Short “ticket 2104 — keep this text.” Authenticate USSD callbacks.
Decision guide
Ship when 06:50 canary is green and duplicates flag a person. Delay if phones lock overnight. If handsets are forbidden, CPaaS for tickets; USSD still needs the operator short code.
Checklist
- Primary + WASH spare paired overnight.
- 06:50 canary + test *210#.
- Ticket after USSD success only.
- Duplicate supervisor flag.
- Donate held.
- Airtime before 06:15.
- Battery exemptions both OEMs.
- District locale.
- WASH on-call named.
- Device cap includes spare.
Next steps
Review device and SMS volume pricing, device setup, SMS API documentation.
Deep dive: production hardening
Power cuts at 06:20 are an outage. Power-bank plus labelled brick. No auto-reply echoing USSD session data.
Deep dive: scaling and failure modes
Multi-district weeks add devices before inventing a hidden unlimited-handset SKU. Raise OEM ceilings; fair-use remains.
Deep dive: integration discipline
Idempotency on point_code + local_date. MCP is a REST wrapper — live fields in Developer Center.
Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit.
06:50 water drill
Canary both radios. Complete a staff *210# and confirm one ticket DLR. Hold donate during the wave.
Related product pages
Jump to the live product docs for this topic—not another long-form article.
- USSD balance and menu automationOperator USSD codes
- SMS API documentationLive endpoint reference
- device and SMS volume pricingPlans and allowances
- Android SMS gateway product guideDefinition, product, and how to buy
