Reliance Jio rejects Durov's claim of sabotaging Telegram access outside India

Reliance Jio on Wednesday denied allegations by Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov that the telecom operator was involved in disrupting access to the messaging platform through a Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) route hijacking incident.

In a statement posted on X, Reliance Jio said recent social media posts had led to speculation regarding Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and an alleged BGP route misconfiguration, and asserted that it had no role in any such incident.

"Recent posts on X have led to speculation regarding Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (AS55836) and a BGP route misconfiguration. We categorically clarify that Jio has not been involved in any such incident. Jio continues to operate its network in accordance with global Internet routing best practices and the highest standards of reliability, security, and transparency," the company said.

The clarification came after Durov accused Reliance of "sabotaging" access to Telegram for millions of users outside India through what he described as a "rogue method called BGP hijacking".

In a post on X, Durov alleged that the disruption appeared intentional and claimed that Reliance had ignored multiple reports about the issue.

"Indian telecom Reliance is sabotaging access to Telegram for millions of users OUTSIDE India (including the UAE) via a rogue method called BGP hijacking," Durov said.

He further suggested that the alleged action could be linked to competition between Telegram and WhatsApp, claiming that Reliance is partially owned by Meta Platforms, the parent company of WhatsApp.

Durov also advised network operators to reject what he termed "unauthorized BGP announcements" from Reliance and alleged that the company may have been connected to lobbying efforts seeking a ban on Telegram in India.

Reliance Jio did not directly address Durov's specific allegations but rejected any suggestion that it was involved in a BGP routing incident.

The allegation has drawn attention to BGP, the protocol that enables internet traffic to be routed between networks globally.

Misconfigurations or unauthorised route announcements can, in some cases, disrupt internet traffic or redirect it through unintended networks.