Telecom Department To Stop USSD Call Forwarding From April 15. Here's Why

USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) call forwarding is a feature on phones that lets you redirect incoming calls from one number to another.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has recently taken a step to tackle the surge in online fraud cases across the country. They have made it mandatory for telecom operators to deactivate USSD-based call forwarding services nationwide from April 15, 2024, in response to various incidents of fraud stemming from illegal call forwarding. 

"It has been 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,” read the notice by the DoT.

USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) call forwarding is a feature on phones that lets you redirect incoming calls from one number to another. Instead of using settings, you can dial specific codes (*401#) on your phone to activate or deactivate it. It comes in handy for features such as checking balances, getting device information like IMEI, forwarding calls to another phone or sending them to voicemail.