Airtel’s AI tool sniffs out 115 million spam calls, 3.6 million spam messages on day 1

Bharti Airtel identified more than 115 million spam calls and 3.6 million spam messages on its network on Thursday, when it launched an AI-backed spam detection tool, people aware of the development told Mint.

The company launched the feature early on Thursday morning for all the smartphone users among its more than 387 million mobile phone subscribers, executives said. They added that the number of spam calls and texts identified by the new tool is expected to rise in the coming days and weeks as the company plans to extend it to feature-phone users as well.

Also read: TRAI proposes differential tariffs for spams, steeper fines for telcos failing to act against telemarketers

The tool, a potential rival to Sweden’s Truecaller app, which identifies and blocks spam, alerts customers in real time to all suspected spam calls and messages. The service will be automatically activated for all Airtel customers without the need to download an app.

Data shared with regulators

Bharti Airtel chief executive Gopal Vittal has shared details of the AI tool, which aims to curb scams, with the ministry of electronics and information technology and various other entities such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India, Reserve Bank of India, Insurance and Regulatory Development Authority of India, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai), and National Payments Corporation of India.

Also read: Pesky callers have had a free run for too long. That may be about to end

“By analysing the behaviour patterns of users, we believe we can identify spammers and potential scamsters faster, enabling users to make an informed decision. Our solution is phone agnostic and works equally well on all operating systems, ensuring broad accessibility,” Vittal said in his letter to the authorities.

Vittal also shared information about its corporate connections with other operators so that their systems could clearly identify these. “This will enable us to collectively monitor and prevent misuse while ensuring legitimate enterprise services remain unaffected,” he said in a letter to telecom companies. Bharti Airtel said it is yet to receive any information from the other telcos.

Trai's spam crackdown

The rollout of the new tool coincides with a crackdown on spam calls and texts by Trai and the telecom department. On Thursday Trai declined to extend the 1 October deadline for telecom companies to block any traffic containing web addresses, APK files (used to install Android apps), or OTT (over-the-top) links that have not been whitelisted.

Also read | Mint Explainer: Trai's latest crackdown on spam calls

On Thursday, Trai again asked telcos to promptly upload their whitelists to its portal to ensure the smooth flow of text messages that contain links. So far, more than 3,000 registered senders have complied with this requirement, whitelisting more than 70,000 links. Senders who fail to whitelist their links by the deadline won't be able to send any messages containing such web addresses, APK files or OTT links.

Telecom companies have blocked several mobile connections following mandates from the government, but spam has now begun to proliferate on OTT apps such as WhatsApp.