Standard Rated & Reverse Billed USSD Terms and Conditions

 

1.      Introduction

The USSD product is developer focused and allows the customer to custom design their own USSD menus where Vodacom simply calls the customer's URL for the responses.

Standard Rated-rated USSD services utilize the primary category number *120*xxxx#, wherein the user initiating the session is responsible for all associated service charges. The Reverse-billed USSD Primary Category Number to deploy the USSD services is *134*and the customer bears the cost of the service on behalf of the user initiating the session.

This service can be developed to meet the customer's specific requirements and will be quoted upon request.

 

2.      The Terms and Conditions

 

2.1             In terms of the Internal WASP Agreement already concluded between the parties, the customer will adhere to the terms and conditions below and shall continue to be bound by the Internal WASP Agreement. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of the Internal WASP Agreement, the USSD terms and conditions ("the terms and conditions”), and/or the WASPA Code of Conduct (unless specifically and expressly otherwise provided in the Internal WASP Agreement), the provisions of the Internal WASP Agreement shall prevail followed by these terms and conditions, then the WASPA Code of Conduct.

 

2.2             The phrases/words used in these terms and conditions shall, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, have the same meaning as assigned to them in the Internal WASP Agreement. It is recorded that the definition of "the Applications” in the Internal WASP Agreement shall be deemed to include USSD.

 

2.3             Prior to the customer being permitted to make use of the USSD and at all times after approval from Vodacom may have been obtained, the customer shall be required to adhere to Vodacom's prerequisites, including but not limited to the following:

 

2.3.1       USSD (Standard Rated & Reverse Billed) will only be available to customers who have concluded the Internal WASP Agreement with Vodacom.

2.3.2       The customer must never have been declared insolvent or be undergoing debt counselling or debt review.

2.3.3       All monies overdue and payable to Vodacom by the customer at date of application for the USSD must be settled in full.

 

2.4             Vodacom reserves the right to exercise its own sole and absolute discretion in deciding whether to grant Customers access to the USSD (Standard Rated & Reverse Billed) service.

 

2.5             As with all transactions, regardless of how they are initiated, for any transaction initiated via USSD, the clauses from the Internal WASP Agreement, WASPA Code of Conduct and any other specific service-related clauses relating to USSD transactions should be adhered to by the customer.

 

2.6             In the event of a customer using USSD for any fraudulent purpose or for any other purpose for which it was not intended, Vodacom shall be entitled to immediately terminate the Internal WASP Agreement concluded between itself and the customer. In terms of the law, Vodacom is obliged to report fraudulent activities to the Law Enforcement Authorities.

 

2.7             The application form and testing procedure must have been properly completed and executed by the Customer.

 

2.8             In the event that Vodacom determines (as it may in its sole and absolute discretion do) that the customer cannot or has not complied, or can no longer comply with these terms and conditions, then Vodacom may immediately and without notice reject the customer's application to deploy Standard  and/or Reverse Billed USSD or once deployed, immediately and without notice suspend the Customer right to use Standard and/or Reverse Billed USSD.

 

2.9             The customer is not allowed to use a Vodacom logo, trademark, slogan or any other device or form of intellectual property belonging to Vodacom in advertising without the prior written consent of Vodacom.

 

2.10         In all advertising, the customer's name must be stated so that the end user is made aware that it is a customer and not Vodacom that is offering the service.

 

2.11         Contravention of any of Vodacom's terms and conditions will result in the suspension of services and failure to resolve within 48 hours of notification will result in termination of services.

 

2.12         In providing USSD services with content fees included, the customer shall have a choice of adopting one of two billing options.

 

2.12.1   For each particular USSD service the customer will have the option of adopting a Standard Rated USSD Tariff Band or Reverse Billed USSD Tariff Bank.

 

2.12.2   Should the customer decide to migrate between Standard Rated USSD tariff bands and Reverse Billed or vice versa, the customer will be required to complete all documentation relating to the migration, complete all processes for, and be subject to the approval process as specified by customer Support for the option that they are migrating to.

 

2.13         Customers will not be allowed to switch between tariff bands more than once during any one USSD Phase session between a Service User and the Customer application. Once one Tariff Band switch occurs (e.g. between the Standard bearer tariff and a selected Reverse Billed tariff band), that new tariff will apply until that USSD Number is terminated, independent of the Service User's activity and the content accessed by the Service User.

 

2.14         Vodacom Internal WASP products are only available to Messaging Account holders. Messaging Accounts have a minimum of 775 Bulk SMS at R165.00 per month (Excl. VAT).

 

2.15         Each time a user dials the Reverse Billed USSD service, the Customer will carry all related costs. (Bearer and Session Costs).

 

2.16         Vodacom Internal WASP do not have control over how many times a user accesses the USSD service, and Bearer and Session costs are carried by customer, dependent on the type of USSD service (Standard and/or Reverse Billed USSD).

 

2.17         USSD (Standard Rated & Reverse Billed) is billed monthly based on usage for session and bearer charges.

 

2.18         The Customer is responsible for monitoring the USSD (Standard Rated & Reverse Billed) traffic available through the API integration and reporting.

 

2.19         To stop any further USSD cost to the Customer, Vodacom Internal Wasp requires a formal letter indicating removal and deactivation of the USSD number. A 60 (sixty) day notice period will apply, as all Mobile Networks are required to deactivate the USSD number.

 

3.      Warranties and disclaimers

Vodacom does not give any warranties with regard to the provision of the USSD service, and the Customer must ensure that no such warranties are given to the service users.

 

4.      Third parties

The customer shall ensure that in any agreement it enters into with any of its sub-contractors, agents, partners, suppliers or the like regarding any matter relating to USSD, or should any of the Customer's rights as provided for herein be exercised through such persons, then it shall bind such persons to the same obligations to which it is bound in terms of these terms and conditions, as may be applicable in the circumstances, and shall ensure that their exercise of such rights do not contravene these terms and conditions. Furthermore, the customer shall be responsible for the acts or omissions of such persons that contravene these terms and conditions.

 

5.      Charges and payments

 

5.1             USSD Bearer, Session and Subscription Fees

For Standard-rated USSD services, the end-user incurs the applicable service Bearer charges per MNO, whereas in Reverse Billed USSD services, the customer carries the Bearer and Session cost on behalf of the end-user.

 

5.1.1       Bearer Costs

Unitisation of 20 seconds will be applied to this tariff – i.e. the end-user will be billed in 20 second increments.  The Maximum session length will be 3 minutes.

 

5.1.2       Session Costs

A session denotes the full period of time a user browses a customer's menu before exiting or being disconnected) per session. The applicable Session Costs will be charged as indicated on Annexure A of the Internal WASP Agreement.

 

5.1.3       Subscription Fees

Subscription fees will be charged as indicated on Annexure A of the Internal WASP Agreement.

 

6.      Timeouts Limitations

Network Session Timeouts denote the total amount of time allowed on a single USSD Session.

 

6.1             Network Timeouts Per Network

 

Network	Seconds
Vodacom	40
MTN	240
Cell C	180
Telkom Mobile	300

 

7.      Handset Timeouts

 

Handset Timeouts denotes the response time frame allocated for the response to be sent from handset to network.

 

7.1             Handset Timeouts Per Network

 

Network	Seconds
Vodacom	30
MTN	30
Cell C	30
Telkom Mobile	45

 

8.      Contact Details

For further enquiries please contact WASP Support:

Office Number: 082 178 88

E-mail: vodacomwasp@vodacom.co.za