Airtel launches India’s first Al-powered network solution for spam detection

Airtel, India’s leading telecom giant, has introduced what it touts as the country’s first AI-powered, network-based spam detection system. This innovative solution is designed to significantly reduce spam calls and messages for its users.
The AI-powered system, a pioneering effort among Indian telecom providers, alerts customers in real time about suspected spam calls and SMS. The service, available free of charge, requires no additional action from Airtel customers—no service requests or app downloads are needed.
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”.
“Designed as a dual-layer protection, the solution has two filters – one at the network layer and the second at the IT systems layer. Every call and SMS passes through this dual-layered AI shield. In 2 milliseconds our solution processes 1.5 billion messages and 2.5 billion calls every day. This is equivalent to processing 1 trillion records on a real time basis using the power of AI. Our solution has been able to successfully identify 100 million potential spam calls and 3 million spam SMSes originating every day. For us, keeping our customers secure is a burning priority.” Vittal added.
Developed by Airtel’s in-house data science team, the solution leverages a proprietary algorithm to analyze caller and sender behavior, call frequency, and SMS patterns, accurately flagging “Suspected SPAM” in real time. The system also cross-references known spam patterns to identify and label suspicious activity.
Additionally, the service safeguards customers against malicious links in SMS messages by scanning every message and comparing links against a centralized database of blacklisted URLs, alerting users before they can click on harmful links.
The system further enhances security by detecting unusual activity, such as frequent changes to a device’s IMEI number—a common sign of fraud. With these comprehensive layers of protection, Airtel aims to strengthen customer defenses against the rising threats of spam and fraud.