Hyderabad: Telecom operator Airtel on Friday said its AI-powered safe network has identified 98.4 billion spam calls and 4.4 billion spam messages since the launch of its network-level spam detection system two years ago, pointing to the scale of digital fraud risks facing Indian users.The telco said the system, built to work in the background without requiring customers to download separate apps or file manual complaints, is part of a wider push to make telecom networks a first line of defence against cybercrime.Airtel also blocked more than 1.62 million malicious links across SMS, messaging apps, emails and browser redirects for mobile and Wi-Fi broadband subscribers.The initiative comes as India’s expanding digital economy faces increasingly organised cyber fraud. Citing Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre data, Airtel said Indians lost more than ₹52,976 crore to cyber fraud over the past six years. NCRB data too has shown a steady increase in cybercrime cases, despite a decline in overall crime levels.Airtel had launched its AI-powered, network-based spam detection solution in 2024. The company has since broadened the platform to include OTP-linked fraud protection, malicious link detection, spam call and message identification, and business name display for verified enterprise calls.While the OTP protection tool is designed to detect suspicious interactions in which users may be manipulated into sharing one-time passwords or sensitive credentials, it said business name display is intended to help customers identify genuine companies and reduce impersonation scams involving fake bank or customer care numbers across India.
