Bharti Airtel, India’s second-largest telecom operator, said on Wednesday it’s rolling out an AI-powered spam detection solution to all its customers to curb the raging spam calls and messages problem in the country.
The company claims the solution is India’s first network-based, AI-powered, spam detection system. The feature will alert Airtel’s customers in real-time to suspected spam calls and text messages, and will automatically activate for all users at no additional cost. Airtel has about 387 million wireless subscribers in India.
Indians have long grappled with a relentless barrage of spam. A recent survey by startup LocalCircles found that a staggering 95% of users report receiving unwanted calls every day, with most facing at least three such intrusions a day. The government’s “Do Not Disturb” (DND) registry has proven largely ineffective, with 90% of registered users still plagued by spammers, the survey found.
Gopal Vittal, managing director and CEO of Bharti Airtel, said the telecom operator spent 12 months building the new spam detection system. “Spam has become a menace for customers,” he said.
Airtel said the new system employs a dual-layer protection mechanism, filtering communications at both the network and IT systems layers. Airtel’s data scientists apparently developed a proprietary algorithm that analyzes various parameters such as caller usage patterns, call frequency, and duration in real-time, the company said.
This AI-powered solution will process a staggering 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls daily, and can identify 100 million potential spam calls and 3 million spam SMS messages every day, the company said.
Beyond filtering, the AI system also scans SMS content for malicious links, cross-referencing against a centralized database of blacklisted URLs. This additional layer of protection aims to prevent users from accidentally clicking on suspicious links, a common vector for fraud and phishing attempts.
The system can also detect anomalies such as frequent IMEI changes, which are often indicators of fraudulent behavior, the company said.
India’s phone spam problem extends beyond mere annoyance. There’s also been a marked rise in Indians reporting calls from scammers impersonating government authorities, delivery services and credit providers.