Rostelecom Users Report YouTube Video Quality Issues

Representatives of Rostelecom have informed the media that they are observing a decline in the quality of YouTube video loading, especially in high-resolution formats. There has also been an increase in user complaints about the service’s performance.

“As previously reported, Rostelecom’s technical monitoring service has started to record a deterioration in the quality of YouTube video loading, particularly in high-resolution formats (HD, 4K). There has also been a rise in calls to the company’s technical support service with complaints about YouTube’s performance,” the company’s press service stated.

Rostelecom reminded users that they had already warned about the likelihood of technical issues affecting YouTube video loading speeds back on July 12, 2024. At that time, the company explained that problems with the operation of Google Global Cache equipment—used in the operator’s network infrastructure and peering points—were causing technical difficulties that could impact the speed and quality of YouTube video playback for subscribers of all Russian operators.

“The responsibility for this lies with Google (the owner of YouTube), which has not been expanding or updating its equipment in Russia since 2022. This equipment supports the Google Global Cache system. Due to wear and capacity exhaustion, Google’s equipment is unable to handle the significantly increased internet traffic. Issues with GGC affect subscribers of all Russian operators,” Rostelecom representatives said.