Airtel Nigeria, one of the country’s foremost telecommunications providers and a subsidiary of Airtel Africa, has disclosed that its recently launched AI-powered Spam Alert Service has flagged more than 9.6 million spam messages between March 13 and May 20, 2025.
The development underscores the company’s intensified efforts to protect subscribers from the rising wave of unsolicited and potentially fraudulent communications.
The Spam Alert Service, which officially debuted on March 13, 2025, is part of Airtel Nigeria’s broader digital security strategy and utilises advanced artificial intelligence to monitor SMS traffic in real time. By analysing over 250 data parameters, the AI system identifies and alerts customers to suspicious messages that may originate from malicious or spam sources.
In the first two months of its operation, the system flagged a total of 9,667,008 SMS as potential spam. A breakdown of the data shows that 528,080 of these messages originated within the Airtel network (on-net), while 9,138,928 came from other networks (off-net), illustrating both the scale of the threat and the efficiency of the AI tool in combating it.
Commenting on the achievement, Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria’s chief executive officer, emphasised the company’s ongoing commitment to customer protection and digital innovation. “This milestone demonstrates the strength of our AI-driven infrastructure in combating the growing menace of spam and scam calls. At Airtel Nigeria, we are focused on connecting Nigerians and ensuring their safety and confidence while using our network,” he said.
He further highlighted that trust remains central to Airtel’s approach to digital communication. “We understand that trust is the cornerstone of digital communication. That’s why we’ve invested heavily in intelligent systems that not only detect potential threats but also learn and evolve with data. As threats become more sophisticated, so will our solutions. As a company, we remain focused on leading the industry in innovation and customer satisfaction, ensuring that every Nigerian can enjoy a safer and smarter digital experience,” Balsingh added.
The Spam Alert Service is available to all Airtel subscribers, whether they use smartphones or basic feature phones, and is provided free of charge. By sending real-time alerts when a suspected spam SMS is received, the service empowers users to avoid potentially harmful content and make more informed decisions about their digital interactions.
Airtel Nigeria’s deployment of AI in spam detection forms part of its broader push to integrate artificial intelligence into its service architecture—an effort aimed at enhancing security, improving user experience, and solidifying its position as a leader in Nigeria’s fast-evolving telecom space.
