---
title: Nigerian operators’ USSD dispute with banks is finally over - Developing Telecoms
description: Nigerian operators have settled a long-running unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) payment dispute with commercial banks. It seems that, five years after the dispute began, all outstanding payments have now been made.
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Nigerian operators have settled a long-running unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) payment dispute with commercial banks. It seems that, five years after the dispute began, all outstanding payments have now been made.

The Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the official industry body for all providers of telecommunications and subsidiary services in Nigeria, said late last week that banks had cleared all outstanding balances related to USSD services. ALTON chairman Gbenga Adebayo said the repayment covered nearly ₦300 billion (about US$200 million).

USSD is a messaging protocol used by GSM cellular networks to enable instant, two-way communication between mobile phones and applications. It works without internet or data, making it ideal for mobile banking, balance checks and network services.

This issue apparently originated as a result of unpaid corporate invoicing for mobile banking sessions, leading to operators threatening several banks with disconnection.

And not just operators. Indeed, [we reported in January 2025](https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-business/telecom-regulation/17856-ncc-issues-ultimatum-to-nine-nigerian-banks-on-ussd-debts.html?highlight=WyJ1c3NkIiwibmlnZXJpYSJd) that regulator the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) had issued an ultimatum for nine banks to pay up on their USSD codes or be disconnected before the end of that month.

News service ITWeb Africa reports that to prevent a repeat of this situation, an end-user billing framework has been adopted. Under this model, customers are charged directly from airtime balances rather than banks settling bulk invoices.

It explains that fees are set at ₦6.98 (about US$0.005) per 120-second session and only apply after users approve the charge and complete a successful transaction.

Despite the growing take-up of smartphones across the country USSD is still essential for reaching millions of Nigerians without smartphones or reliable internet, particularly in rural and low-income communities.

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