Airtel Expands AI-Powered Spam Detection to Indian Regional Languages and International Calls

Airtel Is Now Expanding AI Spam Detection to Indian Regional Languages

Airtel announced an expansion to its network-based artificial intelligence (AI) solution for spam calls and messages detection on Monday. The AI-powered tool, dubbed AI spam detection, can automatically identify and detect spam calls and SMSes and send a notification to users to alert them. The alert is sent in almost real-time so that users can make an informed decision before they pick up the call or respond to the text message. The tool will now support ten Indian regional languages as well as international numbers. In a press release, the telecom service provider announced the expansion of the AI-powered solution. The network-based spam detection tool can now notify users about spam calls and messages from international numbers, alongside domestic numbers. Users in India will get these alert notifications in ten regional languages, including Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. Users will also continue to receive these notifications in the English language. Airtel plans to add support for more languages in the future. The telecom operator highlighted that these spam alert notifications in vernacular languages are currently only available to Android device users. The company did not mention if there are plans to expand the feature to iPhone users as well. Notably, AI-powered spam detection is a free feature to all users with a valid Airtel connection and is auto-activated, so users do not have to raise any service requests. Airtel claimed that ever since the launch of the AI tool in September 2024, it has detected and sent notifications about 27.5 billion spam calls to users. At the time of launch, the telecom operator claimed that the AI-powered tool is a proprietary algorithm-based technology developed by Airtel from scratch. The algorithm automatically analyses numbers based on multiple parameters before identifying the sender as a spammer. Some of these parameters include the sender's usage patterns, call and SMS sending frequency, call duration, and others. The telecom company had said that these parameters are monitored in real-time.

Airtel Enhances AI-Powered Spam Detection with Vernacular Alerts and International Call Scanning

Bharti Airtel on Monday announced two key upgrades to its AI-powered spam detection system, aimed at further curbing the rising menace of unwanted communication. The enhancements include spam alerts in regional Indian languages and expanded coverage to detect spam originating from international networks. Also Read: Airtel Launches AI-Powered Network Solution for Spam Detection Customers will now receive real-time spam alerts for calls and SMS in ten Indian languages -- Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Punjabi and Urdu. The feature is currently available to Android users, with plans for wider rollout in the future. In response to a growing trend of spammers using overseas networks to bypass domestic filters, Airtel's AI system will now also screen calls and messages from international numbers. The company cited a 12 percent increase in spam calls from foreign sources over the last six months. Also Read: Spam, UCC Messages Find Their Way to Users Through RCS and OTT Apps? "After carefully analysing customer feedback, we have enhanced our solutions to better serve the linguistic diversity of India," said the Director - Marketing and CEO - Connected Homes, Bharti Airtel. "Additionally, with the growing volume of SPAM traffic shifting to foreign networks, we have decided to expand our AI-powered tool to scan all SMS messages and phone calls originating from international numbers. Our dedicated team of engineers and data scientists will continue to refine and enhance our offerings, ensuring we stay ahead of any and all emerging threats." Since its launch in September 2024, Airtel's industry-first spam detection system has flagged over 27.5 billion spam calls -- equivalent to roughly 1,560 calls per second. The company claims a 16 percent reduction in spam call volumes among its user base since deployment. Also Read: Airtel Says Flagged 8 Billion Spam Calls with AI Solution The new features will be automatically enabled for all Airtel customers at no additional cost, requiring no manual activation or service request.

Airtel enhances AI Spam Detection with vernacular language support, International spam filtering

Bharti Airtel has announced further upgrades to its AI-powered spam detection tool, following its initial launch in September 2024. The company revealed that its existing system has flagged over 27.5 billion calls as spam for its customers. The latest enhancements focus on providing users with spam alerts in their preferred Indian languages and extending protection against spam originating from international networks. Recognizing the diverse linguistic landscape of India, Airtel will now offer spam alerts for both calls and SMS messages in nine vernacular languages. These initial languages include Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Urdu, and Telugu, with plans for future expansion. This feature aims to improve the clarity and accessibility of spam notifications for a wider user base. It is currently available to customers using Android devices. In response to a noted increase in spam calls originating from international networks, Airtel's upgraded AI tool will now screen and alert users to such communications. The company observed a 12% rise in overseas spam calls in the past six months, indicating a shift in tactics by spammers seeking to circumvent domestic spam filters. Airtel anticipates that this new capability will effectively address this growing challenge. The enhanced AI-driven spam solution will provide notifications in a total of ten Indian languages, encompassing both domestic and international spam. Airtel emphasizes that these upgraded features will be automatically activated for all its customers at no additional cost, eliminating the need for any service requests. Airtel's initial AI-powered anti-spam tool, launched in September 2024, has reportedly provided significant relief to its users. The company states that it has identified 27.5 billion spam calls since its inception, averaging approximately 1560 spam calls per second. Furthermore, Airtel reports a 16% decrease in spam calls experienced by its customers since the tool's original launch. Commenting on the initiative, Siddharth Sharma, Director Marketing and CEO Connected Homes, Bharti Airtel, said:

Airtel Launches AI-Powered Spam Alerts in 10 Indian Languages

Airtel customers in India will now receive spam alerts for unwanted phone calls and messages originating within the country or overseas in 10 Indian languages, including Hindi, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Urdu, as per a press release issued on April 21 by the Indian telecom sector giant. These features will be auto-activated for all Airtel customers, and they can access them for free. However, only customers who use an Android device can receive spam alert notifications in vernacular languages. The telecom company said that it rolled out the above-mentioned services after carefully scrutinizng customer feedback for spam calls and messages. "With the growing volume of spam traffic shifting to foreign networks, we have decided to expand our AI-powered tool to scan all SMS messages and phone calls originating from international numbers," said Siddharth Sharma, Director Marketing and CEO Connected Homes at Bharti Airtel. Airtel's anti-spam calls tool was launched in September 2024, and has identified 27.5 billion spam calls till date, translating into 1,560 spam calls identified every second, as per the telecom company's press release. Notably, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had directed telecom companies to implement an AI/ML-based spam detection system back in June 2023. However, Airtel's bolstered efforts to combat domestic spam calls in India have led spammers to use foreign networks to direct fraudulent calls into the country. This alarming pattern resulted in a 12% rise in overseas spam calls to Airtel customers in the last six months alone. This, in turn, prompted Airtel to expand its anti-spam services to cover international networks, while keeping in mind and catering to its customer base's linguistic diversity in India. Airtel isn't the only telecom company in India taking significant strides to combat spam communication on its networks. For instance, Vodafone Idea (Vi) introduced an AI-powered spam SMS detection tool in December 2024. At the time, Vi claimed that the spam management solution had flagged more than 24 million spam messages since its initial testing phase. Furthermore, Airtel wrote to TRAI last year, asking the regulator to tackle spam and fraud on over-the-top (OTT) platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. All these developments indicate that major telecom companies operating in India are becoming increasingly serious in their efforts to protect users from unwanted spam communication.