L-R Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission, George William Nyombi, Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi and Airtel Uganda Managing Director, Som Soumendra at the launch of the Airtel AI-powered Spam Alert Service in Kampala
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I Airtel Uganda has become the first telecommunications provider in East Africa to unveil a network-level sperm alert service, to offer their clients with protection against fraudulent messages.
The system uses advanced artificial intelligence to analyse over 250 parameters in real-time, identifying suspicious messages and marking them as “SPAM ALERT” before they can harm customers.
While officially launching the service recently, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the minister of ICT and National Guidance has said that although Government’s intention is to transform Uganda into a digitally enabled society that is innovative, productive, and competitive, its intention has been challenged..
He said Government’s policy to embrace AI is a testament to the supportive environment that it has created.
“We have strived to embrace innovation, and creativity that solves real problems like spam. As we expand ICTs and integrate them into government, businesses and personal lives, the collective responsibility to protect everyone grows,” he said, during the launch of Airtel Uganda’s Anti-Spam Service at Kampala Serena Hotel recently.
He said that this AI-powered Anti-Spam service is exactly the kind of innovation Government envisioned when creating policies to support tech-driven solutions to real challenges like online fraud.
L-R Minister for ICT and National Guidance, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi, the Executive Director of the Uganda Communications Commission, George William Nyombi, and Airtel Uganda Managing Director, Som Soumendra, officially launch the Airtel AI-powered Spam Alert Service in Kampala
Nyombi Thembo, the Uganda Communications Commission Executive Director said that whereas their mandate includes safeguarding of critical assets, consumers, and the public from the different forms of communications related harm, the hackers sometimes are ahead in the game.
He added that as a commission, they appreciate the dynamic nature of ICTs, and we are happy to see Airtel Uganda take the leap in the use of AI to solve a real sector problem. Scam follows Spam.
He said recent studies have revealed that over 60% of Ugandan mobile users receive potentially fraudulent messages weekly, with an estimated Sh 23 billion lost to mobile-based scams in 2024 alone.
Som Soumendra, Airtel Uganda’s Managing Director said that their new Spam Alert Service uses advanced artificial intelligence to analyse over 250 parameters in real-time, identifying suspicious messages and marking them as “Spam Alert” before they can harm customers.
“This proprietary dual-layer protection works at both network and IT systems levels, processing over 1.5 billion messages in just 2 milliseconds while maintaining customer privacy by not reading specific message content,” he said.
He further noted that its key feature is its ability to detect malicious web links in SMS messages by cross-referencing against a constantly updated database of blacklisted URLs, warning users before they click on potentially harmful links.
Said Soumendra: “We believe that innovation should serve a real purpose, and this innovation will act as a safety net for our customers and the wider ecosystem.”
He further noted that alerting their customers on digital fraud is a top priority, and our commitment is not just to connect Ugandans, but also to support them as they navigate the digital world.
“With greater digital access comes greater responsibility, and we are proud to lead the way in setting new standards for the network-level security,” he said.
The launch made Uganda the first among Airtel Africa’s East African markets to receive this technology, with plans to roll out the service across the continent in the coming months.
