Key Takeaways
- Scenario 382 is ORS sachet claim on *770# then a receipt SMS — not bednet *750#, borehole *730#, cook-oil *690#, or seed *360#.
- A hung *770# tree is not an API 502. Retrying it like HTTP will empty the prepaid SIM before the first sachet is issued.
- 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 clinic spare still counts.
- Hold donor-appeal CSV until ORS receipts drain.
- Canary *770# at 05:25, not at last night’s HQ health check.
Summary
Scenario 382 is ORS sachet intake: a caregiver dials *770#, then a receipt SMS returns the claim id. Donor CSV waits until trees complete. 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 cage is open and the receipt never landed, you did not issue a sachet. You burned prepaid on a hung menu.
Not a CodeCanyon “NGO USSD” pack. Device meters apply — Twilio vs Android SMS gateway.
Key takeaways
- Scenario 382 is ORS sachet claim on *770# then a receipt SMS — not bednet *750#, borehole *730#, cook-oil *690#, or seed *360#.
- A hung *770# tree is not an API 502. Retrying it like HTTP will empty the prepaid SIM before the first sachet is issued.
- 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 clinic spare still counts.
- Hold donor-appeal CSV until ORS receipts drain.
- Canary *770# at 05:25, not at last night’s HQ health check.
Related reading
USSD balance and menu automation, how an Android SMS gateway works, device setup, WHO diarrhoeal disease.
Context
First issue is 05:45. Enumerators open the cage at 05:35. Fundraising still wants a donor CSV.
Free (300 SMS lifetime) is a rehearsal clinic. Developer is 25,000 SMS per year.
Core scenario guidance
05:45 is *770# ORS, not bednet *750# or chlorine *730#. Timezone is the clinic, not HQ.
ORS USSD roles
| Role | When | Typical fail |
|---|---|---|
| *770# ORS claim | Clinic local, before first issue | Phone in a locked sachet cage after 05:00 |
| Receipt SMS | Only after a completed tree | Sent on a hung session |
| Staff OTP | Transactional, own pool | Dumped onto the clinic radio |
| Donor appeal | Held until last receipt DLR | Released at 05:05 into ops SMS |
Cost and ownership
Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit. The clinic spare is a billed device. Hung trees still burn prepaid.
Name a 04:45–08:45 on-call for issue windows, not only weekday HQ.
Operations
05:25 canary. Abort: hold donor CSV, keep staff OTP, skip a second “all households” blast. Do not loop *770# like HTTP.
Security and compliance
Claim ids only. No names in SMS. Authenticate MIS hooks. Donor lists are promotional.
Decision guide
Ship when 05:25 canary completes a tree and receipts DLR. Delay if the phone sleeps in the sachet cage. If handsets are forbidden, CPaaS for staff OTP.
Checklist
- Clinic SIM paired before 04:45.
- 05:25 *770# canary.
- Receipt DLR watched.
- Staff OTP isolated.
- Donor CSV held.
- Prepaid before 04:45.
- Battery exemptions.
- Clinic locale.
- Issue-window on-call named.
- Device cap includes spare.
Next steps
Review device and SMS volume pricing, device setup, SMS API documentation.
Deep dive: production hardening
Night charging that never happens is an outage at 05:45. Treat USSD timeouts as expected.
Deep dive: scaling and failure modes
Multi-clinic mornings add devices before inventing a hidden unlimited-handset SKU. Raise OEM ceilings; fair-use remains.
Deep dive: integration discipline
Idempotency on claim_id + kind (ussd|receipt). Incomplete tree does not write a sachet. Live fields in Developer Center.
Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit.
05:25 *770# drill
Canary. Complete one tree. Confirm receipt DLR. Hold donor CSV 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
