Call forwarding is one of the benefits that telecom operators and handset brands jointly offer in mobile calling. With the help of this service, incoming calls to one’s own number can be diverted to any other number as desired, so that they are not missed under any circumstances. In that case, all the smartphone users who currently use call forwarding service, but this time they have to be a little understanding. Because from today 15th April 2024 the facility of USSD based call forwarding is going to stop across the country.
In fact, the Central Department of Telecom i.e. Department of Telecommunication (DoT), has already issued a notice to telecom companies like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea to introduce *401# national USSD code based call forwarding feature. Ordered to stop. This new decision of DOT will be effective across the country from today.
Why is DoT stopping USSD call forwarding service?
According to the Department of Telecommunications, USSD-based codes were being used for online fraud. Actually, this code-based calling service was introduced for the convenience of domestic mobile users. But scammers were using it wrongly to cheat the common man. And so it has been decided to stop the service completely before the start of elections.
The DOT, however, has not suddenly ordered the discontinuation of USSD call forwarding services from today. They have been talking about this since the beginning of last March. Now the government has advised the telecom companies to opt for other options instead of such a feature. In that case, mobile users can still go to the phone’s dialer settings and select the option of call forwarding as desired.
What is USSD code?
USSD, a type of short code that begins with a star
sign and ends with a hash (#) – eg, *401#. Conveniently, phone balance can be checked with the help of these codes. There is also an option to know the IMEI number of the device, from the callback service to the mail, validity check. Apart from this, till now the call to your own number could be forwarded to another number by dialing the USSD code.
