Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has partnered with telecom major Bharti Airtel to offer its PC and smartphone security to Airtel’s customers.

The collaboration between the two companies will allow Airtel customers to purchase Kaspersky Total Security solution directly from the Airtel Thanks app. They will also be able to avail of exclusive deals, as per an official statement.

The alliance also seeks to increase the awareness of cybersecurity amongst Indian internet users and encourage them to practice cyber safe practices as the number of Internet-borne cyberthreats reached 37,650,472, as per the cybersecurity firm.

Furthermore, mobile threats in India have also drastically increased in the last two years. India is ranked 7th amongst the countries attacked with mobile threats in 2020, Kaspersky said.

The top mobile threats targeted at smartphone users globally include Adware which topped the list with 57% share, followed by backdoors that tripled between 2019 to 2020 while Android exploits increased seventeen-fold, and the number of Trojan-Proxy threats had increased by twelve times.

“We’re very much looking forward to supporting Bharti Airtel, the leading global telecommunications company and one of the biggest mobile service providers, in its goal to protect their users, create a more secure internet, and build a safer digital world together with Kaspersky. I’m convinced that this partnership will further contribute to establishing Airtel as an innovational pioneer and a leader in its industry,” said Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky.

“Airtel is working round the clock to deliver a secure network experience through world-class infrastructure and partnerships. We are delighted to partner with Kaspersky and make their solutions easily accessible for Airtel customers, who can purchase and install these in a matter of minutes and enjoy complete peace of mind,” added Pradipt Kapoor, CIO, Bharti Airtel.

“Our association with Airtel is not only a strategic business partnership for us, but is also an important collaboration in order to increase cyber awareness amongst the growing number of smartphone users, who also may be potential targets of cybercriminals... We look forward to our association with them, and hope to instil an increased sense of cyber awareness amongst Indian users as much as possible,” said Dipesh Kaura, General Manager, Kaspersky (South Asia).

The telco is eyeing emerging areas such as the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), 5G networks, machine learning, among others to transform its consumer as well as enterprise businesses.

Airtel’s chief product officer Adarsh nair previously told that these startups are working in the area of 5G networks, entertainment, IoT, cloud and security.

The Sunil Mittal-driven telco has also launched its security intelligence center at an investment of Rs 100 crore. It works with Cisco, Vmware, Radware, and Force point to offer advanced cybersecurity solutions to business customers.