U Mobile has become the first telecommunications provider in Malaysia to roll out full-scale scam protection across its entire network, marking a significant milestone in the country’s fight against phone and SMS fraud. Operating at full scale since February 2025, the initiative is delivered in partnership with Cellusys and has already blocked more than 265 million scam calls and fraudulent SMS attempts from reaching customers.

Unlike device-based spam filters or opt-in applications, U Mobile’s solution operates directly at the network level. By leveraging Cellusys’ Unified Signalling, SMS and Voice Firewall technology, all inbound calls and messages are screened before they ever reach a user’s phone. Suspicious traffic is identified and stopped in real time, preventing scams from being delivered altogether rather than reacting after exposure. This approach has proven effective against a wide range of threats, including scam calls impersonating government authorities and financial institutions, SMS phishing or smishing attacks, spoofed caller IDs and large-scale criminal campaigns targeting Malaysian consumers.

According to U Mobile, embedding scam protection directly into the network ensures that every customer is protected by default, without requiring additional apps, settings or subscriptions. Woon Ooi Yuen, Chief Technology Officer of U Mobile, said the move reflects the telco’s commitment to making security a core capability rather than an optional feature. He noted that more than 265 million scam calls and fraudulent messages have been blocked to date, demonstrating tangible results from the deployment. As U Mobile continues to expand its next-generation 5G network nationwide, security will remain a central focus, with trusted connectivity seen as a key pillar of a resilient digital economy in Malaysia.

Cellusys CEO Brendan Cleary described the deployment as a benchmark not only for Malaysia but for the wider region, highlighting the importance of proven, real-world defences over future promises. He said the partnership shows what can be achieved when operators commit to large-scale, authoritative network-layer protection capable of stopping scams before they reach consumers, while maintaining accuracy and resilience at national scale.

The rollout comes amid growing see widespread scam activity in Malaysia. Data from the Global Anti-Scam Alliance shows that 73 percent of Malaysians have reported experiencing scam calls or fraudulent SMS, one of the highest rates in Southeast Asia. Criminal groups have increasingly targeted households, senior citizens and vulnerable individuals, making proactive prevention more critical than ever.

Cellusys’ signalling-intelligence platform analyses traffic at the authoritative network layer, using behavioural and signalling-based detection tuned to local threat patterns. This enables high-precision identification of fraudulent activity across voice and messaging channels, while minimising false positives and adapting continuously to evolving scam tactics. The technology is already used by operators worldwide, delivering large-scale protection with proven reliability.

With this deployment, U Mobile positions itself at the forefront of network-level consumer protection in Malaysia, setting a new standard for how telcos can combat scams through infrastructure-led solutions rather than relying solely on end-user awareness or reactive measures.