Shaping a safer digital future through anti-spam innovation

Commercial context

Spam, such as unsolicited emails, calls, and texts, isn’t just annoying. It’s a major entry point for scams targeting both individuals and businesses. Spam also damages trust in CSPs because customers expect them to block it. GASA data reveals the scale of the problem: in 2024, global scam losses exceeded $1.03 trillion, with more than 60% of scams starting through calls or SMS.

Meanwhile, recent successes in Australia and India have demonstrated the effectiveness of coordinated, centralized anti-spam efforts. Australia's National Anti-Scam Centre, launched in 2023, centralized scam monitoring. It also tackled spam by blocking initial contact attempts, disrupting ongoing scams, and preventing financial losses. In 2024, the Australian telecoms sector also aligned with a whole-of-ecosystem approach to combat scams.

In India, in the first half of 2024, there were 15 million daily spoof calls, causing $1.3 billion in losses. The Department of Telecommunications implemented a coordinated approach. It combined AI fraud detection, carrier blocks, caller verification, and public reporting later in 2024. The approach reduced fraudulent calls by 97% within three months, preventing $300 million in potential losses.

These successes, which involved working directly with telecom operators, demonstrate the power of scalable, collaborative, operational solutions. They also point to the need for global, collaborative frameworks in which CSPs and regulators align.

The solution

The ‘Quality of Trust: Eliminating spam, enabling growth’ Catalyst aims to combat spam and build trust in the communications ecosystem with a globally coordinated, standards-based platform. The platform uses advanced AI, distributed ledger technology (DLT), and standardized APIs. It prevents scammer-victim contact, break established connections, and block money or data transfers.

DLT technology, including blockchain, ensures traceability, immutability, and auditability across ecosystem stakeholders - both within and across countries. The is underpinned by tamper-proof record of communications. This enables transparent tracking of spam origins, secure data sharing, and verifiable audits. It also reduces gaps exploited by malicious actors.

AI and generative models analyze real-time data to detect and prevent spam, identify scam patterns, and disrupt scammer-victim interactions. These models can proactively block contact or sever existing connections. Meanwhile, they can also prevent fraudulent money transfers by flagging suspicious activities.

Standardized APIs facilitate seamless communication among stakeholders, including CSPs, device manufacturers, and entities managing digital identity or KYC processes. This ensures interoperability, enabling secure integration for use cases like e-commerce, payments, and government services.

The solution provides a global platform that eliminates vulnerabilities and restores subscriber trust. The development of a standard enables rapid deployment. As well as this, ecosystem coordination replaces fragmented measures with a unified platform. This simplifies collaboration among CSPs, regulators, and stakeholders and facilitates regulatory compliance.

According to Dr. Sudhir Kumar Mittal, Executive Vice President & Director Architecture, Jio Platforms, "Global cooperation and data-sharing are crucial to combat spam and scams. By leveraging DLT Blockchain for secure data, real-time AI for proactive threat detection, and Open APIs for seamless interoperability, we can prevent scammers from contacting victims via SMS and voice channels, safeguarding personal data and preventing financial fraud. This strengthens customer trust, enabling CSPs to meet expectations, drive monetization, and unlock new revenue streams."

The Catalyst draws on TM Forum’s frameworks, including TMF632- Party Management, TMF669- Party Role Management, GB954 Fraud Classification Guide, and GB947 Fraud Operations Management Guide.

Wider application and value

The Catalyst provides significant benefits at the operational level of the fight against spam. There are also benefits at the business, industry, and societal levels.

At the operational level, deployment is much faster with a standardized platform. With predeveloped AI and global blockchain cutting scam solution deployment from 13 months to 3 months.

Fragmented measures are also replaced with a coordinated, unified platform for CSPs, regulators, and stakeholders. The case studies from India and Australia show a 20% scam reduction via coordinated efforts, saving $200 billion annually. The Catalyst system can also be made to comply with future regulations like Singapore’s Shared Responsibility Framework. This will reduce CSP liability risks.

The solution can have a major impact on the proliferation of spam and scams. The approach achieves a 90% reduction in scam-related spam, as seen in India’s 2024 spoofed call drop, saving $300 million.

In terms of the impact on business, the solution provides a regulated and legal framework for businesses to reach out to customers without invading their privacy. It also enables fair business practices and growth. Furthermore, a substantial reduction in fraud would result in more trust in business.

There are also monetization opportunities for CSPs and innovation opportunities for app developers. One revenue opportunity is API monetization. Secure APIs enable new revenue from payments, e-commerce, and government services.

Spam monetization also presents a good revenue opportunity. With 2025 SMS volume projected at 8.6 trillion and spam estimated at 700 billion messages (8–10%), charging $0.001 per spam message could generate $700 million. Charging $1 per 1,000 SMS for verification could yield $8.6 billion. Higher rates for flagged spam, such as $1 per 500 messages, could bring in $1.4 billion. For comparison, Twilio charges $1 per 20 SMS (0.5 cents each), the current industry standard.

At an industry level, spam elimination enables a higher level of trust among customers, regulators, and other legal entities. It also enables greater customer satisfaction and new business opportunities in other industry verticals like banking, insurance, and healthcare.

At a societal level, the Catalyst enables greater enforcement of privacy. It also enables a higher level of public trust in modern communication tools.

Tackling spam also enables greater digital inclusion. Mobile-based identities bridge gaps for 1 billion without IDs. Secure ecosystems reduce fraud, boosting mobile money, healthcare, and education. Zambia’s KYC reduced social benefit fraud by 60% (2024), for example, supporting scalable microloans and remittances. Digital financial services could boost emerging economies’ GDP by $3.7 trillion, according to McKinsey. With this in mind, this Catalyst demonstrates that fighting spam is not a cost - it’s an investment in trust, inclusion, and growth.