DoT ask telecom companies to temporary suspensd USSD-based call forwarding facility from April

Call forwarding facility to remain closed from April 15: The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has asked telecom companies to stop USSD-based call forwarding service in the country from mid-April. To curb fraud and online crimes through mobile phones, the department has issued an official notice ordering to discontinue this service from April 15 till further notice.

"In this regard, it has decided by the competent authority that all licensees shall discontinue the existing USSD based call forwarding services with effect from 15.04.2024 till further notice," the order said.

What is USSD based call forwarding service? How to access it?

Mobile customers access the USSD service (most commonly as *401# services for unconditional call forwarding services) by dialing the active code on their phone screen.

Finding out information, such as the IMEI number and mobile phone balance, is a common usage for this service. In a March 28 order, the department stated that it had discovered certain unlawful acts are being carried out with the call forwarding capability based on Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD).

"All existing subscribers who have activated USSD based call forwarding service may be asked to reactivate call forwarding services through alternative methods to ensure that such services are not activated without their notice," the order said.