Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading telecom operators, has rolled out significant upgrades to its AI-powered spam detection system, aiming to provide robust protection against the growing menace of spam calls and SMS. The latest features specifically address the surge in international spam traffic and cater to India’s linguistic diversity by offering real-time alerts in ten regional languages.
In response to a 12% spike in spam calls and messages originating from foreign networks over the past six months, Airtel’s AI solution now actively scans and flags suspicious activity from international numbers. Spammers have increasingly used overseas routes to bypass domestic filters, making global monitoring essential. The enhanced system analyzes call and message patterns, frequency, and sender behavior in real time, ensuring users are promptly warned about potential spam from both domestic and international sources.
Recognizing India’s linguistic diversity and the need for accessible security, Airtel has introduced spam notifications in ten regional languages: Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Punjabi, and Urdu. This feature is currently available to Android users and will soon expand to other platforms. Multilingual alerts empower users across India to understand and respond to spam threats in their preferred language, enhancing both awareness and safety.
Airtel’s anti-spam solution operates through a dual-layered AI system:
Network Layer: Every call and SMS passes through Airtel’s network, where AI algorithms screen for spam based on established patterns.
IT Systems Layer: A second layer further analyzes communications for suspicious behavior, including frequent IMEI changes and blacklisted URLs in SMS, providing real-time alerts to users.
The system processes an average of 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls daily, flagging over 27.5 billion spam calls since its launch in September 2024. The AI-driven approach has already reduced spam calls for Airtel users by 16% and continues to identify approximately 1,560 spam calls per second.
All new anti-spam features are automatically activated for Airtel customers at no additional cost. Users do not need to manually enable the service or download extra apps, ensuring seamless protection for everyone on the network.
Airtel’s ongoing enhancements reflect its commitment to customer security in an era of evolving spam tactics. The company’s in-house team of engineers and data scientists is dedicated to refining these tools, keeping pace with emerging threats and user feedback.