Bharti Airtel reportedly identified more than 115 million spam calls and 3.6 million spam messages on its network on Thursday using its AI-powered network solution for spam detection. Airtel launched the feature early Thursday morning for all smartphone users, Mint reported, citing people familiar with the development.
Also Read: Airtel Launches AI-Powered Network Solution for Spam Detection
Airtel AI-Powered Tool Alerts Users in Real-Time
During the launch announcement on Wednesday, Airtel said its tool alerts customers in real-time to all suspected spam calls and SMS messages. The solution is available free of charge and will be automatically activated for all Airtel customers without the need to download any app or submit a service request.
Data Shared with Regulatory Bodies
Bharti Airtel's CEO, Gopal Vittal, shared details of the AI tool, which aims to curb spam, with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), as well as with other entities such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), and the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).
Also Read: Airtel Develops AI-Based Solution to Prevent Phishing and Fraud Through Messaging: Report
"By analysing the behaviour patterns of users, we believe we can identify spammers and potential scammers faster, enabling users to make informed decisions. Our solution is phone-agnostic and works equally well on all operating systems, ensuring broad accessibility," Vittal said in his letter to the authorities, according to the report.
Airtel Awaits Response from Other Telcos
Vittal also shared information about Airtel's corporate connections with other operators so their systems could clearly identify these. "This will enable us to collectively monitor and prevent misuse while ensuring legitimate enterprise services remain unaffected," the report quoted Vittal as saying in a letter to other telecom companies. Bharti Airtel said it is yet to receive any information from other telecom operators.
Call for Industry-Wide Collaboration
Earlier in September, Vittal wrote to the heads of Reliance Jio, Vodafone Idea, BSNL, and Tata Teleservices to establish a system for sharing details of corporate connections used for commercial calling, in order to monitor and prevent misuse of such connections. This comes as the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and TRAI have urged the telecom industry to collaborate on finding a solution to curb spam and prevent scams.
Reportedly, in the letter sent to other telecom operators, Vittal suggested that the data be shared on a monthly basis in a template format, allowing them to collectively monitor and prevent misuse of these connections. "We are ready to take the first step and share the data (entity name and active numbers only) in the same template on a monthly basis and would appreciate your support," Vittal said in the letter.
Also Read: Airtel Deploys AI Based Speech Analytics Solution to Improve Customer Experience
TRAI's Deadline for Blocking Traffic
These efforts align with the regulator's crackdown on spam calls and texts. On Thursday, TRAI reiterated that the deadline for telecom companies to block any traffic containing URLs (web addresses), APK files (Android Package Kits), or OTT (over-the-top) links that have not been whitelisted remains October 1st, 2024.
TRAI noted that so far, over 3,000 registered senders have complied with this requirement by whitelisting more than 70,000 links. Senders who fail to whitelist their links by the deadline will no longer be able to transmit any messages containing URL/APK/OTT links, the Ministry of Communications said on Thursday.
