Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited has issued a strong denial against accusations made by Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who alleged the Indian telecom giant was responsible for Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) hijacking that disrupted access to the messaging platform for users outside India.
Durov, in posts on social media platform X, claimed that Reliance was deliberately sabotaging Telegram access through a "rogue method" of BGP hijacking. He suggested this was part of a "competitive war," noting that Reliance is partly owned by Meta, the parent company of Telegram's rival, WhatsApp. Durov specifically stated that users in regions like the UAE, where Indian blocking orders do not apply, were affected, and accused Reliance of ignoring multiple reports.
In its official statement, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (AS55836) unequivocally dismissed the speculation regarding a BGP route misconfiguration. The company asserted that it has not been involved in any such incident and continues to operate its network in strict adherence to global internet routing best practices, upholding the highest standards of reliability, security, and transparency.
Industry sources, however, noted that the network identified by Durov might not belong to Reliance Jio but could instead be associated with Reliance Communications, based on publicly available internet routing databases.
Understanding BGP Hijacking
Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) is the fundamental routing system of the internet, directing traffic between different autonomous networks. A BGP hijack occurs when a network falsely advertises itself as the optimal route to a particular destination, thereby rerouting or disrupting internet traffic intended for other services or websites.
Telegram's Temporary Block in India
Separately, Telegram faced a temporary ban in India from June 17 to June 22, following an order from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. This action was prompted by a recommendation from the National Testing Agency (NTA) amid allegations that Telegram channels were being used to circulate claims of leaked question papers for the NEET examination. The NTA reported that several channels were soliciting money from students and parents in exchange for purported access to exam papers.
The Indian government also directed Telegram to disable its message-editing feature until June 30, citing concerns that it could be exploited to facilitate the spread of misinformation.