Experts Analyze Telegram Connection Disruptions in Belarus

Researchers from the Sweden-based NGO Qurium Media Foundation and the Belarusian human rights organization Human Constanta have identified the cause of Telegram service instability observed in Belarus.

According to their findings, the disruptions in the instant messaging service are due to outgoing traffic restrictions imposed by the country’s largest telecom operator, Beltelecom. This policy was discovered during a joint investigation by Qurium and Human Constanta, which was launched in response to complaints from Belarusian Telegram users. Users reported that while the messenger was accessible, it was extremely slow.

Investigation Details

To determine the cause of the disruptions, activists began monitoring the Telegram network (specifically the 149.154.164.0/22 block). Through this monitoring, they noticed that during protest events in Belarus, latency on certain Telegram IP addresses increased to 300-450 ms, compared to the normal 50 ms. It appears that some mechanism was identifying Telegram traffic and applying specific policies when accessed.

Identifying the Source of Restrictions

The researchers were able to pinpoint who was imposing these restrictions by conducting test measurements of outgoing traffic across various Belarusian AS providers. They found that only BELPAK, also known as Beltelecom (AS6697), was managing Telegram traffic in this way.

Over four days of observation, the researchers noted that during lunch hours and in the evenings, Beltelecom channels experienced congestion and latency increased by up to seven times. Other providers in the country consistently maintained normal latency levels of 59-62 ms.