Leading telecom operator Vi, announced a significant step forward in protecting its users from spam. Starting today (2nd December 2024), the company is introducing a spam management solution powered by AI and ML.

This new solution is designed to proactively detect and flag potential spam messages through a machine based automated solution, helping Vi users’ maintain a secure and clutter free mobile experience.

Since its initial testing phase, the solution has already flagged over 24 million spam messages.

With spam messages on the rise, which are often used as a gateway to frauds, Vi’s Spam SMS solution will safeguard customers by identifying and managing unsolicited and potentially harmful text in real time.

Speaking on the development, Jagbir Singh, CTO, Vodafone Idea Limited, said: “As more customers embrace digital communication, we recognize the growing threat posed by SMS based spams and potential scam attempts.

Our AI-powered spam detection technology reinforces our commitment to customer safety by delivering proactive, real-time protection. Vi is focused on staying ahead of these threats and empowering customers with information to make their mobile experience safer.”

As part of its broader commitment to customer safety and experience, Vi is continuously working to develop solutions to curb spam, including voice calls, to ensure its users are further protected from unsolicited calls.

These measures are in addition to various existing solutions and practices including making the mobile-app URL simple to use for filing spam complaints by enabling automatic pick up of spam content (SMS), sender number, and date, as well as whitelisting URLs in brand messages.

Vi also uses insightful consumer feedback and complaints in conjunction with UCC (Unsolicited Commercial communication) detection, which identifies bulk call patterns (such as calls made from a single number to many distinct numbers) and limiting their use in order to stop further abuse.

Recognising the importance of customer education, Vi also regularly runs customer awareness campaigns to help users spot phishing attempts, report spam and encourage overall caution.

  1. Real-time analysis: The system continuously analyzes incoming SMS messages using AI algorithms trained on millions of examples, identifying potential threats, including fraudulent links, unauthorized promotions, and identity theft attempts. Real-time monitoring allows for immediate action against suspicious activities.
  2. Pattern Recognition: By leveraging sophisticated machine learning algorithms, the predictive system learns from incoming data patterns such as phishing links, unusual sender details and phrases commonly used in spam messages to enhance its detection capabilities over time.
  3. Spam tagging: Messages identified as spam will be tagged as ‘Suspected Spam’, to instantly warn the users, helping them make informed decisions about their communications. This intelligent approach not only enhances security but also ensures that genuine communications aren’t lost in a sea of unwanted messages.
  4. Continuous improvements: Via Machine Learning, it will continually improve by adapting to new spam trends, improving accuracy and effectiveness. This means it evolves and adapts to new types of spam as they emerge, shielding users from new threats.

Benefits for customers

  1. Enhanced safety: By flagging potentially harmful spam, the service empowers customers with the information of suspected spam messages, thus protecting them from potential phishing and scam attempts.
  2. Seamless integration: The service is automatic and requires no setup, app installation, or payment from customers.