Free for all KT customers, including MVNO subscribers

False-block rate at 0.003%; zero customer complaints logged

Models receive an explanation of the AI spam-blocking service at KT Plaza in Gwanghwamun. [KT]
Models receive an explanation of the AI spam-blocking service at KT Plaza in Gwanghwamun. [KT]

KT Corp has extended its AI-powered real-time spam detection and blocking service to all customers, including those on KT's mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) plans.

KT announced Thursday that it had rolled out its "AI-based real-time spam-blocking service" to its entire customer base.

Spam patterns are changing at an increasingly rapid pace, with tactics growing more sophisticated — senders now embed special characters to evade keyword filters, among other methods. To close the blind spots in blocking new and mutated spam, KT developed its own AI spam-blocking service capable of detecting and stopping previously unrecognized spam types in real time.

The AI spam-blocking feature was developed in January and initially piloted for 800,000 customers who had set the smart-blocking sensitivity to "high" in KT's "KT Spam Block" app. The higher the smart-blocking sensitivity, the more messages suspected of being spam are filtered out.

After using the phased rollout to confirm service stability, KT added the AI spam-blocking function to its existing "Safe Spam Block" service on July 29 and expanded coverage to all customers, including MVNO subscribers. The spam-blocking service is free for all KT customers.

The broader rollout followed an initial run with 800,000 customers to verify stability before extending the feature to the full subscriber base, including MVNO users. The focus is on detecting and blocking new and mutated spam — types that were previously difficult to filter — around the clock.

The AI spam-blocking service operates 24 hours a day, including weekends and overnight. KT said it is closely monitoring service stability and customer experience since the expansion.

From July 29 through Monday, the false-block rate stood at 0.003%, and not a single customer inquiry related to the service was received.

With the AI spam-blocking feature catching spam that previously slipped through, the total number of blocked spam messages rose 3.5 percent.

KT also plans to launch a "real-time spam-block notification service" this month. Customers who sign up will receive instant alerts on blocked messages and be able to check their blocking history more quickly and easily.

The AI spam-blocking feature is part of KT's customer protection task force, established in May, which prioritizes customer safety and trust and aims to strengthen the company's overall customer-value protection framework. Key initiatives include AI-based real-time detection, a one-stop resolution center and a roving customer-listening forum.

"The AI spam-blocking feature was developed as part of our customer protection task force activities to protect customers in real time from various forms of spam and digital crime," said Choi Se-jun, senior vice president and head of the Customer Strategy Division at KT's Customer Business Unit. "We will continue to update the service to build customer trust, advance our AI-based detection technology and establish a prevention-focused customer protection framework."


woo@heraldcorp.com