India’s telecom industry has grown by leaps and bounds over the past 10 years, connecting over 1.17 billion people. It transitioned from the underdeveloped 3G networks to leading the charge for 5G adoption on a global level. The adoption of 5G encouraged telcos to bring in advanced web-based solution for solving several key telephony network issues. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now the next big thing in this sector and it can make a real difference.
From improving how networks run to spotting problems before they happen and creating more personalised experiences for users, AI is helping telecom providers become faster, more reliable, and better tuned to what customers actually need.
Making telecom smarter, more secure
With advanced AI tools at their disposal, Indian telecom networks are transforming by leaps and bounds. Gone are the troublesome issues of call drops, poor connectivity, network clogging, etc. Telecom operators are now using AI for self-optimising networks, thus taking care of call drops, improving data speeds, and ensuring seamless connectivity across urban and rural areas.
AI-driven analytics can predict network failures and allow preventive maintenance, minimising downtime and service disruptions. GenAI-based virtual assistants and chatbots can handle customer queries, automate bill payments and provide multilingual support, significantly reducing wait times and improving user satisfaction. Goodbye long waiting times at customer care!
AI also enhances fraud detection by identifying suspicious activities in real time, preventing SIM swap fraud and cyber threats, and strengthening KYC verification through facial recognition and Aadhaar integration.
“AI helps telecom companies identify optimal locations for new cell towers, use drones for tower inspections, and manage spectrum efficiently for better bandwidth allocation. Examples: Airtel’s AI chatbot ‘Airtel Thanks’ has improved customer engagement and reduced service resolution times; All telcos deploy AI-based fraud analytics to reduce cyber threats and financial fraud cases,” Jaspreet Bindra, Co-founder, AI&Beyond, told Financial Express. “It can enable hyper-personalized services, such as recommending the best mobile plans or content based on user behaviour, boosting customer engagement and retention,” he added.
Fraud detection and security enhancement
As digital payments and mobile banking proliferate around India, consumers are increasingly falling victim to telecom frauds (SIM card cloning, SIM swap fraud, identity theft, etc.). To combat this, telecom companies are now resorting to AI-powered apps and software to make their networks safer and secure.
AI-powered apps and software can detect real-time frauds and suspicious behaviours like preventing SIM swaps before they occur, and making use of data patterns and analytics to identify an attack. AI is also making KYC checks quicker using facial recognition and direct linking with Aadhaar, limiting opportunities for fraud and identity theft.
This is not just hypothetical—operators like BSNL and Vodafone Idea are using AI-based fraud detection in practical applications, and are finding success. Reports of cyber threats and scams, attacking mobile users financially, have dramatically decreased, proving that intelligent and smart technology is protecting several million mobile end users in India.
AI in customer support
Every day, telecom companies from India are swamped by customer queries 24×7, that too across various languages. Managing all those is a daunting task and this is exactly what AI-based chatbots and virtual assistants are helping with. These smart tools handle frequent issues like billing or network complaints in seconds, thus cutting down hold times, allowing the human agents to handle more complex queries.
From reminders of recharge to payments of bills and updates in account information, all these things are now automated, so the customer experience is far better. Another great feature is that many of these chatbots can speak regional languages so that people across India can access help in their language.
Consider Airtel’s chatbot, Airtel Thanks, for example: It has made it easier for the company to reach out to customers and get issues sorted much faster, an example of AI enhancing telecom services and interactions on a day-to-day basis.
“On the customer front, Conversational AI and advanced analytics are powering hyper-personalized services. AI Telephone, AI Agents, AI Assistants (VideoBots, VoiceBots, ChatBots) handle customer queries, resolve issues, and offer tailored product recommendations based on individual usage patterns and preferences, drastically improving customer satisfaction and reducing operational costs. This intelligent evolution positions AI as a core enabler for the next generation of telecommunications,” said Ankush Sabharwal, Founder and CEO, CoRover (first human-centric conversational and generative AI platform).
AI adoption in Indian telecom still not so easy
AI offers many benefits for the telecom industry; however, its implementation faces a few major challenges in India. Among them, the biggest obstacle is that the initial set-up cost of deploying an AI-powered infrastructure tends to be quite high and could act as a deterrent to many service providers.
Another challenge comes from the fact that AI systems depend on accessing huge amounts of user data, which has further aggravated the concerns around data privacy and security. Ensuring the appropriate usage of such personal information without violating any regulations is a serious concern.
Besides this, the industry faces its own set of challenges with the shortage of skilled resources in AI and ML, as it attempts to implement and adopt advanced technologies. Once resolved, these can provide the needed boost so that AI may take-off in transforming telecommunications in India.
“As networks continue to evolve, AI is going to play an ever-increasing role in dealing with complexity. From optimizing signal quality in real time, to facilitating predictive maintenance in dense telecommunications environments, the opportunities are endless if implemented effectively,” said Konark Trivedi, Founder and Managing Director of Frog Cellsat Ltd, a publicly listed leading telecom equipment manufacturer.
“Additionally, looking at the Indian landscape that is growing exponentially in connectivity needs, AI is also being leveraged to minimize performance gaps while laying the groundwork for intelligent and resilient network infrastructure,” he concluded.
