Telecommunications industry leaders in the UK and India will
harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle
online fraud, scams and harms.
The two industries will join forces via a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) signed today [14
September] between the UK government and the Cellular Operators
Association of India (COAI).
The MoU will
provide a framework for activities to share learning, facilitate
knowledge sharing and build engagement around key digital
fraud-related issues impacting India and the UK. It sets out how
our telecoms industries can utilise the latest technologies and
approaches alongside the recent advancements in AI, which is
transforming how networks are designed, managed and secured
across the digital economy.
The agreement will bolster fraud resilience in the UK and India
by placing industry at the heart of the solution to this global
problem. Digital fraud is a growing transnational organised crime
and combating it requires close co-ordination between governments
and the industry. This collaboration will unite experts from the
UK and India to support a safer and more trusted digital
ecosystem.
Ben Mellor, Acting British High Commissioner to India, said:
We are living through an extraordinary period of technological
change, with AI transforming the way communication networks are
designed and secured. Industry partners are central to protecting
citizens, business and institutions from nefarious actors who may
cause them harm.
That's why close collaboration between governments and industry
and in forums such as these is so important. The MoU we've signed today
reflects the UK's and India's shared commitment to address
emerging challenges at the intersection of telecommunications and
digital security.
The partnership strengthens the commitments of the Technology
Security Initiative (TSI) and UK-India Vision
2035 to ensure that technological innovation, including the
development and adoption of AI, strengthens rather than
undermines trust in digital services.
Fraud is not confined by borders. Over two-thirds of cases in the
UK have an international element, making it a global problem with
significant cross-border activity.
These initiatives under the TSI will allow the UK and
India to shape the future of advanced communication and AI
technologies not just domestically, but across the world.
Lt. Gen. Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, said:
For India, the next phase of connectivity must be intelligent,
secure, resilient and citizen-centric. Telecom networks will not
only support AI workloads; they will increasingly become
AI-enabled systems capable of optimising performance,
strengthening security, improving service quality and protecting
consumers from emerging digital risks. The MoUbetween COAI and the
British High Commission reflects the importance of trusted
international collaboration in shaping the future of digital
connectivity.
Further information
- today's CO.AI (Communications and AI) panel discussion is the
first formal collaboration between the UK and the Cellular
Operators Association of India (COAI), with
representatives from industry, Government of India and the
British High Commission. Attendees include the Telecom Regulatory
Authority of India, the Department of Telecommunications,
Vodaphone, Jio Infocomm and Bharti Airtel
- the UK government is focused on reducing crime and boosting
economic growth. Fraud against individuals and business is the
largest reported crime type in England and Wales and costs the
economy £14.4 billion in 2023 to 2024
- the UK has committed to investing over £250 million between
2026 and 2029 to deliver a new Fraud Strategy, aimed at
combatting fraud against individuals and businesses. This
includes a new Online Crime Centre launched in April this year
which will bring together specialists from the government,
police, intelligence agencies, banks, mobile networks and major
tech firms to drive co-ordinated action against fraud, a Telecoms
Fraud Charter driving industry adoption of AI, and a new Report
Fraud service
- under the 2024 Technology Security Initiative (TSI) we are developing
the UK-India Connectivity and Innovation Centre and the UK-India
Joint Centre for AI
