Bharti Airtel collaborates with Google for AI-driven spam protection in messaging services

Bharti Airtel announced it will implement its AI-powered spam protection for text messages, including those with web links sent through Google's messaging platform. This move aims to safeguard customers from potential digital fraud as part of the partnership between the two companies, the telecom giant said on Sunday, 1 March 2026.

Following the partnership, Bharti Airtel has urged other internet-based apps to collaborate with it in combating spam messages.

"By combining Airtel's network intelligence with Google's Rich Communications Services (RCS) platform and spam filtering, users get to experience RCS messaging with high-quality photo/video and interactive elements like message reactions, all while benefiting from enhanced protections that significantly reduce mobile spam and digital fraud," the statement said.

7,100 crore spam calls blocked

Airtel said it has blocked around 7,100 crore spam calls and 290 crore spam SMSes, resulting in a significant 68.7% reduction in financial losses on its network over the past 1.5 years through its AI-enabled tools.

Several internet-based applications provide bulk messaging services, allowing senders to include web links for transactions.

"We have now partnered with Google to extend customer protection beyond the telco domain and made the rich messaging platform safer and more secure. We now call on the broader OTT communication platforms to work with us and make sure that customers are protected from the spam and financial fraud menace," Bharti Airtel, Executive Vice Chairman, Gopal Vittal, said.

Airtel said that traditional mobile networks provide messaging services that adhere to safety standards and telco-grade safeguards, whereas many other non-telco communication platforms and standalone apps lack these protections.

"These channels have therefore increasingly been exploited by sophisticated bad actors, becoming common tools for financial fraud and invasive spam. This innovative partnership between Airtel and Google is designed to bridge that gap, extending the accountability of telecom-grade safeguards to the modern messaging experience," the statement said.

Setting a new benchmark, says Airtel

The company said that by integrating Airtel's intelligence into the RCS platform and Google's existing spam protections, it is setting a new benchmark for a secure carrier-backed messaging service.

Sameer Samat, President of the Android Ecosystem at Google, said that brands utilising the messaging service for enterprise communications will be able to boost trust among their customers by enabling them to easily distinguish legitimate business messages from spam and stay protected from potential risks that may emerge on other messaging platforms.

"The solution will enable brands to build deeper engagement with their customers who will feel safer and in more control. This will, in turn, lead to enduring customer relationships which are imperative for business growth and success," Samat said.

Speaking on the rationale behind the latest development, an Airtel spokesperson said, "We had not onboarded Google because we first wanted RCS messages to be routed through the Airtel spam filter. In a global first, an OTT platform has integrated Airtel's spam filter into its messaging services. We are therefore now live with Google, having ensured that requisite checks have been implemented with an objective that our customers’ safety stays paramount. We also call upon other OTT platforms, including Meta, Telegram and Signal, to work with us in a similar manner to eradicate the menace of spam for customers.”