Android SMS Gateway Scenario 826: NGOs USSD requests in practice

Summary

Scenario 826 is vaccine outreach intake: a CHW dials *220#, then a slot SMS returns the window 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 slot radio is dark, you collected consents nobody can quote at the outreach tent.

Not a CodeCanyon “vax SMS” pack. Device meters apply — Twilio vs Android SMS gateway.

Key takeaways

• Scenario 826 is vaccine outreach on *220# then a slot SMS — not distribution-eve, surveys, *182#, KYC, disaster *999#, cash-for-work *721#, school-feeding *440#, complaint *155#, livestock *330#, poll *180#, borehole *210#, birth *200#, or nutrition *310#.
• USSD opens the consent. SMS returns the outreach slot. Do not log vaccine names or 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 outreach spare still counts.
• Donate lists stay off the slot radio until the morning desk drains.
• Canary both radios at 06:55 before the first *220# wave.

Related reading

USSD gateway use cases, two-way SMS, how an Android SMS gateway works, WHO vaccines and immunization.

Context

Tents open at dawn. Feature phones still dial USSD. Fundraising wants the same hour as the first dose.

Free (300 SMS lifetime) is a rehearsal desk. Developer is 25,000 SMS per year.

Core scenario guidance

USSD first. Slot SMS only after a successful session. Duplicates on the same person_ref + local_date flag a supervisor.

Hold donate until the desk drains. Locale is the site district, not HQ.

Outreach vs slot roles

Cost and ownership

Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit. The outreach spare is a billed device. Slots burn airtime.

Name a 06:30–16:00 on-call for outreach days, not only HQ hours.

Operations

06:55 canary both radios and a test *220#. Abort: hold donate, keep slots. Do not “resend all consents.”

Security and compliance

No vaccine names, GPS, or full IDs in gateway logs. Short “slot 2204 — keep this text.” Authenticate USSD callbacks.

Decision guide

Ship when 06:55 canary is green and duplicates flag a person. Delay if phones lock overnight. If handsets are forbidden, CPaaS for slot SMS; USSD still needs the operator short code.

Checklist

• Primary + outreach spare paired overnight.
• 06:55 canary + test *220#.
• Slot after USSD success only.
• Duplicate supervisor flag.
• Donate held.
• Airtime before 06:30.
• Battery exemptions both OEMs.
• Site locale.
• Outreach 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-tent weeks add devices before inventing a hidden unlimited-handset SKU. Raise OEM ceilings; fair-use remains.

Deep dive: integration discipline

Idempotency on person_ref + site_id + 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.

06:55 outreach drill

Canary both radios. Complete a staff *220# and confirm one slot DLR. Hold donate during the wave.