The Ministry of Digital Development will oblige operators to make foreign traffic paid after 15 GB to combat VPN - Forbes

The Ministry of Digital Development demanded that telecom operators introduce a fee for exceeding the limit of foreign traffic as a way to combat bypassing blocking. According to Forbes, the head of the department, Maksut Shadayev, held two closed meetings on March 28: separately with large operators, and separately with representatives of digital platforms.

Operators have been asked to charge for international mobile traffic over 15 GB per month. One of Forbes’ interlocutors in the telecommunications industry said that the corresponding option should be operational before May 1. According to the publication, platforms - including VK, Ozon, Avito, Wildberries and Yandex - will be required to block access for users connecting through means of bypassing blocking.

Comnews Research partner Leonid Konik explained to Forbes that 15 GB is significantly more than the standard tariff package of 5 GB, and this volume is enough to use Telegram and other blocked services, although watching YouTube without restrictions will no longer be possible. Technical expert RKS Global noted that operators are able to detect the use of a VPN by the characteristic features of the traffic and by the fact that the entire connection from the device goes to one foreign IP address, but they cannot decrypt the contents of the tunnel itself.

Shadayev also allowed the introduction of administrative liability for the use of VPNs, but expressed hope that “it will be possible to do without this.” All Forbes sources agree that the minister’s initiative is based on a secret order from the president.

Earlier, in mid-February, the Baza Telegram channel announced plans to completely block Telegram in Russia from April 1, similar to Instagram and Facebook. State Duma deputy Andrei Svintsov stated that Russian authorities will have the opportunity to limit or block any VPN traffic over the next three to six months. According to him, Roskomnadzor already has technical developments for this.