India Sees Over 2.5 Million Spam Complaints in 2025, Led by Airtel and Jio

Unwanted calls and messages remain a growing irritation for mobile users in India, with official data showing a sharp rise in complaints even as automated systems block hundreds of millions of suspected spam communications each day. 

Complaint Volumes and Network Wise Distribution 

Data placed before Parliament shows that complaints related to spam marketing calls and messages reached 2.5 million in 2025, up from around 850,000 in 2021.  

Of the total complaints recorded in 2025, Bharti Airtel accounted for 1.17 million cases, while Reliance Jio saw 1.07 million complaints. In comparison, Airtel had reported around 370,000 complaints in 2021, while Reliance Jio had logged roughly 220,000.  

The Minister of State for Communications, Dr. Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, said the figures indicate that spam continues to affect users across networks despite ongoing mitigation efforts. 

Scale of Automated Blocking and Scam Exposure 

According to the government, automated systems now block large volumes of unwanted communication based on customer preferences.  

In December 2025 alone, more than 75 million calls and messages were blocked on an average daily basis, while AI tools flagged over 310 million calls and messages each day as suspected spam.  

Adding to the context, McAfee’s 2026 State of the Scamiverse report for India said that users in the country receive an average of 13 scam communications every day across text messages, social media, email, phone calls and malicious QR codes. 

Telecom Crackdown on Spam and Compliance Lapses 

Telecom operators have tightened action against repeat spam offenders by issuing warnings, restricting call volumes and disconnecting numbers.  

Acting on regulator directions, 1.88 million numbers linked to unregistered telemarketers were disconnected, while penalties of ₹153.8 crore were imposed on operators for deficiencies in handling spam complaints.  

More than 300,000 businesses and over 21,000 telemarketers have also been directed to register on a digital platform to enable message tracking and verification. 

AI Led Detection and Consent Management Initiatives 

Bharti Airtel said it blocked over 70 billion suspected spam calls in the past 2 years, citing analysis by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre that showed a 68% drop in financial losses and a 14% decline in overall cybercrime incidents on its network.  

The operator introduced a network-based AI spam detection system in September 2024, expanded in May 2025 to block malicious links across messaging apps, email and online services, with protections enabled automatically at no extra cost.  

In December 2025, a pilot launched by the TRAI and the RBI sent consent-management alerts from short code 127000, allowing users to review or withdraw permissions for bank promotional messages, with plans to extend the system to other sectors. 

Read More: Tariff Cut Boosts India’s Gems and Jewellery Sector as Exporters Eye Sharp 2026 Revival! 

Conclusion 

With complaints touching 2.5 million despite daily blocking running into hundreds of millions, the data highlights both the scale of spam activity and the growing reliance on automated enforcement, tighter registration and consent controls to curb its impact on mobile users. 

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