Bharti Airtel on Wednesday launched artificial intelligence (AI)-powered spam detection solution that will significantly solve the issue of spam calls and messages for its customers.
A first-of-its-kind solution by a telecom service provider (TSP) in the country, the tool will alert customers in real-time to all suspected spam calls and SMSes, the company said, adding that the services will be available from Wednesday late night. The solution is free of cost and will get auto activated for all Airtel customers without them having to raise a service request or download an app, it said.
“Spam has become a true menace for customers. We have spent the last 12 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,” Gopal Vittal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bharti Airtel said.
Two filters
Designed as a dual-layer protection, the solution has two filters – one at the network layer and the second at the IT systems layer, he said.
“Every call and SMS pass 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.
AI-powered solution
Developed in-house by Airtel’s data scientists, the AI-powered solution uses a proprietary algorithm to identify and classify calls and SMSes as “Suspected SPAM”. The network powered by state-of-the-art AI algorithm analyses various parameters such as the caller or sender’s usage patterns, call/SMS frequency, call duration amongst several others, on a real time basis, the company said.
By crossreferencing this information against known spam patterns, the system flags suspected spam calls and SMSes accurately.
Additionally, the solution also alerts customers to malicious links received via SMS. For this, Airtel has built a centralised database of blacklisted URLs and every SMS is scanned in real time by a state-of-the-art AI algorithm to caution users from accidently clicking on suspicious links, Airtel said.
The solution can also detect anomalies such as frequent IMEI changes – a typical indicator of fraudulent behaviour . By layering these protective measures, the company is ensuring its customers receive maximum level of defense against the evolving landscape of spam and fraud threats, it added.
Government has also allocated 10-digit numbers with the prefix 160 to for service and transactional calls. Customers can expect to receive calls from these 160-prefix series assigned to banks, mutual funds, insurance companies, stockbrokers, other financial institutions, corporates, enterprises, SMEs, big and small businesses used for making transactional and service calls.
Additionally, those customers who have not opted for Do-not-disturb (DND) and have subscribed to receiving promotional calls will continue to receive them from a 10-digit number with the prefix 140.