USSD is the short menu you get after dialling a code such as *123#. It looks dated, yet African mobile money still leans on it heavily. How heavily is harder to pin down than most articles admit. The most quoted figure comes from an analyst with no published source, so this report sets out what the evidence supports and what it does not.
Key findings
Handsets keep it alive
Africa dominates global mobile money. GSMA figures reported in the trade press give the region $1.432 trillion of $2.091 trillion in value, nearly 66%, plus 1.2 billion of 2.3 billion registered accounts. That scale was built on basic phones. USSD works on nearly any handset and needs no installed app or data bundle, which is why it persists: the limit is the device in the customer’s hand more than the network around it.
Africa’s weight in mobile money
Africa against the world, 2025, as reported from GSMA data.
Smartphone numbers need care because the definitions differ. The 24% is a share of population, while the World Bank’s 33% for Sub-Saharan Africa is a share of adults. Kenya is further along: smartphones are 63.7% of handsets, yet 28.5 million feature phones remain in use. Our Kenyan SIM report covers that picture, and the 2G and 3G switch-off covers the network side.
The hard limits
A USSD screen is short. Vendor guidance gives 182 characters, and sessions time out, typically after 90 to 180 seconds according to one vendor. Both vary by network, so test on the networks you plan to use. Long menus and fiddly data entry are where services lose people.
Will your screen fit?
Type a menu. Counts against the 182-character guide figure.
Security: assume the channel is not private
Claims about USSD encryption mostly come from vendors, so we would not design around them. Treat the channel as untrusted, keep sensitive detail off the screen, and authenticate at the application level. The newer standard for USSD over IMS is defined in 3GPP TS 24.390, so the feature is not confined to old networks. We found no source that links USSD to outcomes during internet shutdowns, so we make no such claim. For login codes, see the OTP economy.
Does USSD suit your service?
Our own rule of thumb, not research. Tick what applies.
Methodology
The GSMA page refused automated access, so its figures are taken from secondary reports. The 64% USSD share rests on one analyst, with no stated source; the 92 billion figure depends on it. Screen and timeout limits come from a vendor. We found no public USSD tariff data and no Kenyan USSD volume data, so neither appears here.
FAQs
What share of African mobile money runs on USSD?
About 64% of transactions, according to an analyst quoted by Channelwise, who stated no source. Treat it as an indication and not as a measurement.
Does USSD need internet?
No. It runs over the mobile network’s signalling, with no data bundle or app, though it does need network coverage.
How long does a USSD session last?
One vendor guide gives 90 to 180 seconds before timeout. This varies by network, so test yours.
Sources
- We Are Tech Africa, mobile costs and digital illiteracy, 31 Mar 2026
- Channelwise, telecoms as financial infrastructure, 12 Jun 2026
- ITWeb, mobile money surpasses $2tn, 25 Mar 2026
- HelloDuty, USSD guide (vendor), updated 16 Jun 2026
- Techweez, Kenya mobile subscriptions, 22 Jun 2026
- 3GPP, TS 24.390
Frequently asked questions
What share of African mobile money runs on USSD?
About 64% of transactions, according to an analyst quoted by Channelwise, who stated no source. Treat it as an indication and not as a measurement.
Does USSD need internet?
No. It runs over the mobile network's signalling, with no data bundle or app, though it does need network coverage.
How long does a USSD session last?
One vendor guide gives 90 to 180 seconds before timeout. This varies by network, so test yours.