All Telcos to have Same Shortcodes for Balance Recharge, Inquiry & Transfer

Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) has officially announced that all the telcos will have to use a common shortcode. All the telecom operators will have to use the same shortcode for balance inquiry, balance recharge, and balance transfer.

This rule is set to be enforced within 6 months as NTA has made all of the necessary arrangements by issuing shortcode and toll-free number management procedures 2077.

Right now, there are various shortcodes of respective mobile service providers. NTC users need to use *400# for a balance transfer, *412* for recharge, and *422# for a balance transfer. Likewise, there are similar shortcodes from Ncell and Smart Cell.

ALSO READ: Ncell Brings Nonstop Offers for TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook

However, the new directive issued by NTA will allow all of the telecom operators to use the same shortcodes. The shortcodes will be free of cost and are as follows.

Regulation of Shortcode

Along with the standardization of the shortcodes, NTA has also brought regulation of digits in the shortcode.

From now on, three-digit shortcodes are dedicated to emergency services like Police, Ambulance, and Fire Bigrade. And, four digits shortcodes are dedicated to government agencies and constitutional bodies. Likewise, the five-digit shortcodes are meant for value-added services using SMS, USSD, and calls.

ALSO READ: Ncell Power SIM: Loaded with Benefits for Power Users

Well, I’m glad that there will be the same shortcodes for every mobile operator. It has always been a confusing thing, especially if you use multiple sim cards. So, it will much easier to remember and use these shortcodes.

However, I have been using third party apps for recharge or I either use USSD codes to subscribe to services. So, I don’t really use shortcodes.

This directive is set to be implemented within six months from now. The old shortcodes will still be valid for 1 year even after the implementation of common shortcodes. Both, common shortcodes and telcos based shortcodes will be active for 1 year.

Via – NepaliTelecom