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

Airtel Enhances AI-Powered Spam Detection System

Bharti Airtel, one of India's leading telecom operators, has announced significant upgrades to its artificial intelligence (AI) powered spam detection tool. The enhancements aim to combat the growing menace of unwanted communication by expanding language support and improving international call screening 1

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Multilingual Support for Diverse User Base

In a move to cater to India's linguistic diversity, Airtel's AI-powered system now offers spam alerts in ten Indian regional languages. These include Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Punjabi, and Urdu, in addition to English 2

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. This feature is currently available to Android users, with plans for future expansion.

International Call Screening

Responding to a 12% increase in spam calls from foreign sources over the last six months, Airtel has extended its AI tool's capabilities to scan calls and messages originating from international numbers 3

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. This expansion aims to address the growing trend of spammers using overseas networks to bypass domestic filters.

Impressive Performance Metrics

Since its launch in September 2024, Airtel's spam detection system has:

• Flagged over 27.5 billion spam calls
• Identified approximately 1,560 spam calls per second
• Contributed to a 16% reduction in spam call volumes among its user base 2

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Automatic and Free Service

The enhanced features are automatically activated for all Airtel customers at no additional cost, requiring no manual activation or service request 1

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Technology Behind the Tool

Airtel's AI-powered tool uses a proprietary algorithm-based technology developed in-house. The system analyzes multiple parameters in real-time, including:

• Sender's usage patterns
• Call and SMS sending frequency
• Call duration
• Other relevant factors 1

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Industry-Wide Efforts and Regulatory Push

Airtel's initiative aligns with broader industry efforts to combat spam communication:

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) directed telecom companies to implement AI/ML-based spam detection systems in June 2023
• Vodafone Idea (Vi) introduced an AI-powered spam SMS detection tool in December 2024
• Airtel has urged TRAI to address spam and fraud on over-the-top (OTT) platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram 4

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These developments highlight the increasing commitment of major telecom companies in India to protect users from unwanted spam communication, leveraging AI technology to enhance user experience and security.