Bharti Airtel, one of the most popular telecom service providers in the country has launched India’s first network-based, AI-powered spam detection solution, in a groundbreaking effort to tackle the growing issue of spam calls and messages. This new tool the first of its kind from any telecom provider in India, will alert customers in real time about suspected spam calls and SMSes.
The service is free of charge and will be automatically activated for all Airtel customers, which will eliminate the need for a service request or app download.
AI-powered dual-layer protection
Gopal Vittal, MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel said, “Spam has become a major issue for customers. Today marks a milestone as we launch the country’s first AI-powered spam-free network that will protect our customers from unwanted and intrusive communications."
The company developed the tool over the past year, creating a “dual-layer protection” system—one at the network level and another at the IT systems level.
Advanced spam detection capabilities
The AI-powered solution has been designed in a way that it processes every call and SMS through this dual-layered AI shield, analyzing 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls daily in just 2 milliseconds. This powerful system, equivalent to processing 1 trillion records in real-time, has already identified 100 million potential spam calls and 3 million spam SMSes each day, Vittal highlighted. Developed by Airtel’s in-house data scientists, the system uses a proprietary algorithm to identify and classify calls and SMSes as “Suspected SPAM.”
Real-time analysis and malicious link alerts
The tool assesses factors such as the caller or sender’s usage patterns, call/SMS frequency, and duration, cross-referencing this data against known spam behaviours. This enables the system to accurately flag suspected spam. Additionally, the AI-powered solution also alerts users about potentially malicious links received via SMS. Airtel has created a centralized database of blacklisted URLs, and every SMS is scanned in real-time to warn users about suspicious links.
Fraud detection and customer safety
The tool is also capable of detecting anomalies like frequent IMEI changes, a common indicator of fraudulent behaviour. Airtel’s new spam detection system marks a significant step forward in enhancing customer safety and combating the spam menace in India.
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