Reliance Jio has denied allegations linking the company to a reported disruption of Telegram services outside India, following claims made by Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov on social media.
The telecom operator issued a statement on Wednesday, clarifying that it had no involvement in any alleged Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing incident that may have affected access to Telegram users in other countries.
Addressing speculation surrounding the matter, the company stated, “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.”
The company further added, “Jio continues to operate its network in accordance with global Internet routing best practices and the highest standards of reliability, security, and transparency.”
The clarification follows allegations by Pavel Durov, who claimed on X that a Reliance-linked entity was “sabotaging access” to Telegram for users outside India, including in the United Arab Emirates, through BGP hijacking. BGP hijacking is a technique that can alter internet traffic routes and potentially disrupt access to online services.
According to a senior telecom industry source, Durov may have confused Reliance Communications with Reliance Jio, the telecom arm of Reliance Industries. The source stated that the autonomous system number referenced in Durov’s post belongs to Reliance Communications, which operates separately and is not part of Reliance Industries.
The source also clarified that Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is only a minority investor in Jio and does not participate in the company’s day-to-day operations or management decisions.
The controversy emerges at a time when Telegram is facing increased regulatory scrutiny in India. Authorities have reportedly directed Apple and Google to remove the messaging platform from their app stores until June 22 as part of measures aimed at preventing the circulation of examination-related material linked to the NEET-UG re-test.
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