Trai wants telcos to use AI-based spam filters for pesky calls, messages

You may get some respite from the menace of spam calls soon as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is planning to enforce new rules for telecom companies today. To implement this rule, Trai has directed telecom operators to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) or AI-based spam filters that prevent unwanted communications, an NDTV report said.

Millions of customers around the country receive unwanted calls and messages on a daily basis. These are primarily promotional in nature. When deployed, the AI will automatically detect fake and promotional calls, and messages from unknown sources and avoid them on its own.

Where do the telecom companies stand on this?

The report said Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio, BSNL, and Vodafone Idea have already agreed to implement this new system in compliance with the latest rules. The telecom regulator and the telecom companies have been working together to address this widespread issue.

Directions from Trai

Trai has asked telecom companies to ensure no promotional calls are made to 10-digit mobile numbers. To bring ease to the customers, the companies have been asked to install a Caller ID feature that shows the caller's name and image on the device's screen. This feature is likely to significantly reduce the number of annoying calls.

Help from Truecaller

To leverage the Caller ID feature, Airtel and Jio are talking with Truecaller. As per a report published in The Economic Times (ET), Truecaller will help telecom companies to stop spam calls and messages.