UK operator EE claimed it blocked 11 million scam calls since deploying upgraded AI technology to tackle the issue in July 2022 as part of a wider campaign to protect customers.

EE stated its upgraded firewall technology blocked up to 1 million international scam calls a day since launch, while a spam message filter deployed in 2021 put the stoppers on more than 200 million communications.

The firewall technology was developed by EE and uses AI to review calls passing through UK Calling Line Identification from other countries, blocking those pretending to be based in the UK and so ensuring they never reach customers.

EE stated tens of millions of scam calls target customers in the UK, with many coming from international locations posing as domestic numbers for legitimacy. These are run by international scam networks, designed to obtain personal information, access to devices and even bank details.

As well as protecting EE, BT and Plusnet customers, the technology stops inbound calls from international locations using UK numbers from being forwarded to other networks.

Chris Cowe, customer care change director at EE, stated its investment in the latest technology meant it had the safest network in the country.