Airtel Africa, a leading telecom and mobile money provider across 14 African nations, has launched an innovative AI-driven Spam Alert Service in Nigeria. This groundbreaking service, available at no cost, provides real-time alerts for suspected spam SMS messages and requires no additional app downloads. It is automatically enabled for all Airtel customers, including those using both smartphones and feature phones.
Following its debut in Nigeria, the service will be rolled out across other Airtel Africa markets.
According to Quartz research, as of 2019, nine of the top 20 countries with the highest spam rates are in Africa. With smartphone usage rising across the continent, spam messages have become a growing problem, often targeting unsuspecting users with fraudulent SMS and calls disguised as messages from network providers or government agencies. These scams typically lure individuals into clicking malicious links or providing personal information, which can be exploited for fraud.
In response, Airtel Africa has developed an advanced AI-powered solution that labels suspicious SMS messages as “Suspected SPAM.” Without accessing the message content, the AI evaluates over 250 parameters in real time, including the sender’s SMS patterns and geographical spread.
The Airtel AI Spam Alert Service employs a proprietary dual-layer security system—one at the network level and another at the IT systems level—capable of processing over 1.5 billion messages in just two milliseconds. It also warns users about malicious web links received via SMS by maintaining a centralized blacklist of suspicious URLs and scanning messages in real time to prevent accidental clicks on harmful links.
Speaking at the launch event in Lagos, Airtel Nigeria Managing Director and CEO Dinesh Balsingh emphasized the company’s commitment to enhancing customer experience through technological innovation.
“This is a gamechanger for Africa’s telecom industry,” Balsingh stated. “We are proud to introduce the continent’s first AI-powered spam alert solution, starting in Nigeria—our largest market. As we move forward, we will continue addressing customer challenges with proactive, tech-driven solutions.”
The service is set to expand to other Airtel Africa countries in the coming months.
