Airtel to crack down spam calls with India’s first AI-powered network tool

In a groundbreaking initiative to tackle spam issues in the country, Bharti Airtel unveiled India’s first AI-driven spam detection solution on Wednesday.

This no-cost service, a first for any telecom provider in India, will notify customers in real-time about suspected spam calls and SMS messages.

The feature will automatically activate for all Airtel users without the need for a service request or app download.

“Spam has become a significant problem for customers. Today is a pivotal moment as we introduce the nation’s first AI-enabled spam-free network, designed to protect our users from the relentless barrage of unwanted communications,” stated Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and CEO of Bharti Airtel.

Vittal highlighted that the company has dedicated the past year to addressing spam and has developed the tool with “dual-layer protection” – one layer at the network level and another at the IT systems level.

“Our dual-layered AI shield processes every call and SMS. In just 2 milliseconds, our solution handles 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls daily, equating to real-time processing of 1 trillion records using AI,” Vittal explained.

So far, the tool has successfully identified “100 million potential spam calls and 3 million spam SMS messages each day,” he noted.

Developed by Airtel’s data scientists, the AI solution employs a proprietary algorithm to identify and categorize calls and SMS as "Suspected SPAM."

It assesses usage patterns, call/SMS frequency, and duration in real-time, cross-referencing this data with known spam behaviors to accurately flag potential spam communications.

Additionally, the tool alerts users to harmful links in SMS messages. Airtel has established a centralized database of blacklisted URLs, and each SMS is scanned in real-time by advanced AI algorithms to prevent users from clicking on suspicious links.

The system can also identify unusual activities, such as frequent IMEI changes, which may indicate fraudulent behavior, according to Airtel.