India, UK telecom industries join forces to combat digital fraud

MoU between British High Commission and COAI to promote AI-driven solutions, knowledge sharing and stronger digital security

NEW DELHI, September 14: The United Kingdom and India have agreed to strengthen cooperation between their telecommunications industries to combat online fraud, scams and digital harms through artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced network security technologies.

The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on Monday between the UK government and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI).

The agreement provides a framework for sharing expertise, facilitating knowledge exchange and building engagement on key digital fraud-related issues affecting both countries.

It will bring together telecom industry experts from the UK and India to explore the use of emerging technologies and AI-driven approaches to strengthen network security, improve fraud resilience and protect citizens, businesses and institutions from digital threats.

The collaboration places the telecommunications industry at the centre of efforts to address digital fraud, which has increasingly become a transnational organised crime requiring close coordination between governments and industry.

Ben Mellor, Acting British High Commissioner to India, said technological change and AI were 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,” he said.

Mellor said close collaboration between governments and industry was essential to address emerging challenges at the intersection of telecommunications and digital security.

“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,” he said.

The partnership builds on the commitments under the Technology Security Initiative (TSI) and UK-India Vision 2035, which seek to ensure that technological innovation, including AI development and adoption, strengthens trust in digital services.

The UK government said more than two-thirds of fraud cases in the country had an international element, highlighting the cross-border nature of digital fraud and the need for international cooperation.

The initiatives under the TSI are expected to support the UK and India in shaping the future of advanced communications and AI technologies, both domestically and globally.

Lt. Gen. Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI, said India’s 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,” he said.

Kochhar said the MoU reflected the importance of trusted international collaboration in shaping the future of digital connectivity.