API for checking airtime

[recre8]

Is there a Vodacom API available whereby the airtime of a prepaid SIM card can be checked? I'm currently using a script that logs into Vodacom and parses the page, but the script broke recently, and I'm guessing it won't be the last time either. This process also requires me to register every SIM card on Vodacom and keep track of all the passwords.

I'm pretty sure there must be other people out there who use a high number of SIM cards for embedded electronics stuff. e.g. Those credit card machines at shops that use GPRS. How do they manage the airtime on those?

 

[KaasP]

Hi, there is currently no way to do this using the publicly available utilities.

Screenscraping v4me is painful, laborious and error-prone.
You could work with zero-rated USSD on the devices itself, but this complicates your firmware and is also unreliable.

There are companies such as ours (www.flickswitch.co.za) that offer prepaid sim management services.

PM me if you'd like more info.

Also possible to manage sims on contract using private APNs and the like, but you need pretty serious volume to justify the costs.

 

[recre8]

Thanks for the info. I was just wondering, because we have a project that will use 100+ mobile devices with prepaid sims, and its a schlep to check every one for airtime. I think the most stable solution will be using a regular expression on a USSD command from the device itself and upload it once a day or so.

Its seems like a problem many other companies must have faced before and will face in the future though.

Can you elaborate on the meaning of "zero-rated"? Does it just mean "no cost"?

 

[KaasP]

Yep zero-rated, just means free, this means network hosted services like *100#, *111# and Wasp hosted, anything that starts with *130.

Only problem with your approach is the uploading if your device is out of airtime.
Also the logic then resides on your device and any changes to it will require a firmware update.