Key Takeaways
- Scenario 442 is soap-kit claim on *790# then a receipt SMS — not ORS *770#, bednet *750#, borehole *730#, or cook-oil *690#.
- A hung *790# tree is not an API 502. Retrying it like HTTP will empty the prepaid SIM before the first kit 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 WASH spare still counts.
- Hold donor-appeal CSV until kit receipts drain.
- Canary *790# at 05:40, not at last night’s HQ health check.
Summary
Scenario 442 is soap-kit intake: a household dials *790#, 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 kit. You burned prepaid on a hung menu.
Not a CodeCanyon “NGO USSD” pack. Device meters apply — Twilio vs Android SMS gateway.
Key takeaways
- Scenario 442 is soap-kit claim on *790# then a receipt SMS — not ORS *770#, bednet *750#, borehole *730#, or cook-oil *690#.
- A hung *790# tree is not an API 502. Retrying it like HTTP will empty the prepaid SIM before the first kit 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 WASH spare still counts.
- Hold donor-appeal CSV until kit receipts drain.
- Canary *790# at 05:40, not at last night’s HQ health check.
Related reading
USSD balance and menu automation, how an Android SMS gateway works, device setup, WHO WASH.
Context
First issue is 06:00. Enumerators open the cage at 05:50. Fundraising still wants a donor CSV.
Free (300 SMS lifetime) is a rehearsal depot. Developer is 25,000 SMS per year.
Core scenario guidance
06:00 is *790# soap-kit, not ORS *770# or bednet *750#. Timezone is the depot, not HQ.
Soap-kit USSD roles
| Role | When | Typical fail |
|---|---|---|
| *790# soap-kit claim | Depot local, before first issue | Phone in a locked kit cage after 05:10 |
| Receipt SMS | Only after a completed tree | Sent on a hung session |
| Staff OTP | Transactional, own pool | Dumped onto the depot radio |
| Donor appeal | Held until last receipt DLR | Released at 05:20 into ops SMS |
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. Hung trees still burn prepaid.
Name a 05:00–09:00 on-call for issue windows, not only weekday HQ.
Operations
05:40 canary. Abort: hold donor CSV, keep staff OTP, skip a second “all households” blast. Do not loop *790# like HTTP.
Security and compliance
Claim ids only. No names in SMS. Authenticate MIS hooks. Donor lists are promotional.
Decision guide
Ship when 05:40 canary completes a tree and receipts DLR. Delay if the phone sleeps in the kit cage. If handsets are forbidden, CPaaS for staff OTP.
Checklist
- Depot SIM paired before 05:00.
- 05:40 *790# canary.
- Receipt DLR watched.
- Staff OTP isolated.
- Donor CSV held.
- Prepaid before 05:00.
- Battery exemptions.
- Depot 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 06:00. Treat USSD timeouts as expected.
Deep dive: scaling and failure modes
Multi-depot 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 kit. Live fields in Developer Center.
Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit.
05:40 *790# 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
