In a latest development in the telecom sector enhancing the customer safety, telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Wednesday (September 25) launched India’s first AI-driven spam detection system.

The new AI driven spam detection system aimed to tackle the widespread issue of spam calls and messages that plague mobile users across the country.

A Game-Changer for Telecom Users

As per the regulatory filing, the company said that the tool is developed entirely in-house by Airtel's data scientists and is designed in such a way that it will provide real-time alerts for suspected spam.

Moreover, the other interesting feature of this is that it can automatically activates for all Airtel customers without requiring any additional app downloads or service requests.

Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bharti Airtel said, “Spam has become a menace for customers. We have spent the last twelve months to solve this comprehensively. Today marks a milestone as we launch the country’s first AI-powered spam free network that will shield our customers from the continuous onslaught of intrusive and unwanted communications”.

How It Works

Airtel’s spam detection system analyses various factors to classify calls and messages. Key parameters include:

Caller Usage Patterns: The frequency and duration of calls from a number.

Message Sending Patterns: The regularity with which SMS messages are sent.

IMEI Changes: Frequent changes to the device identifier, which can indicate fraudulent activity.

By continuously monitoring these aspects, the AI can effectively flag communications as "Suspected SPAM" based on established spam behavior patterns.

"Additionally, the solution also alerts customers to malicious links received via SMS. For this, Airtel has built a centralised database of blacklisted URLs and every SMS is scanned in real time by a state-of-the-art AI algorithm to caution users from accidently clicking on suspicious links. The solution can also detect anomalies such as frequent IMEI changes – a typical indicator of fraudulent behavior," said the company in the BSE filing.

Share performance

The shares of the company on Wednesday at 3:30 pm IST closed at Rs 1,761.00 apiece, up by 0.25 per cent.