Airtel Introduces AI-Powered Detection for International Spam Calls and SMS in India

Airtel Enhances AI-Based Spam Detection Tool with International Alerts and Regional Language Support

Airtel has unveiled significant upgrades to its AI-powered spam detection system, now extending protection to users from international spam calls and SMS messages. This enhancement follows a growing trend of foreign-originated spam targeting Indian users, prompting the telecom giant to expand its capabilities.

In a bid to improve user experience, Airtel will now send spam alerts in users' preferred Indian languages. The service will be available in ten regional languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Punjabi, and Urdu. The feature, which is currently available for Android users, will be expanded to more languages and platforms in the future.

This upgrade comes as Airtel responds to a worrying rise in international spam. Despite the telecom company’s successful efforts to curb domestic spam, there has been a 12 percent surge in spam calls originating from foreign networks over the past six months. The new AI-driven detection tool, launched in September 2024, has already flagged over 27.5 billion spam calls, equating to about 1,560 spam calls per second. Since the system’s deployment, Airtel customers have seen a 16 percent reduction in spam calls.

The initiative highlights Airtel’s commitment to safeguarding its users from unsolicited communications. The added regional language support ensures that users from diverse linguistic backgrounds can better understand and act on the spam alerts.

In addition to the spam detection upgrades, Airtel has also made waves by partnering with Apple to offer exclusive benefits to its postpaid and Wi-Fi customers. Through this collaboration, Airtel customers will receive free access to the Apple TV+ streaming service, available on select Wi-Fi or postpaid plans. The initiative makes Airtel the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) in India to offer Apple TV+ streaming access.

As part of this deal, Airtel’s postpaid users will also receive limited-time access to Apple Music. The partnership aims to provide enriched content offerings to Airtel's subscribers, with all Xstream Fiber (Wi-Fi) customers on Rs 999 or higher plans receiving access to Apple TV+ content as part of the package.