Which provider networks are blocking my offer in India?
Published 2026-05-27 · 8 min read
TL;DR
Test the offer URL from real residential and mobile networks on the four major Indian carriers: Jio (AS55836), Airtel (AS24560 fixed / AS9498 mobile), Vi / Vodafone Idea (AS55410 / AS55644), and BSNL (AS9829). All four failing means a DoT-ordered country block. One or two failing means an operator-level content filter (Jio and Airtel are the most aggressive). Mobile and fixed must be tested separately.
Signature of an Indian carrier-level block
EPC from India collapses on one operator's traffic while other Indian sources stay normal.
Jio users complain first — Jio enforces operator-level content rules even without a regulator order.
Airtel mobile users see a different result than Airtel broadband users for the same URL.
Your check from AWS Mumbai or from outside India returns
200.Synthetic uptime monitors (Pingdom, UptimeRobot) remain fully green.
How to identify the blocking carrier (step by step)
- 1
Don't test from your own connection. Indian content filters apply at the operator level. A VPN, corporate ISP, or cloud probe bypasses them.
- 2
Check all four major Indian carriers. Jio (AS55836), Airtel (AS24560 / AS9498), Vi (AS55410 / AS55644), BSNL (AS9829).
- 3
Test mobile and fixed-line separately on Airtel and Vi. Airtel runs distinct ASNs for broadband and mobile; the same URL can pass on one and fail on the other.
- 4
Record HTTP status, DNS result, and final URL per carrier. Indian ISPs typically respond with
403,451, a DNS failure, or a redirect to a government block page likeblocked.airtel.inorjionet.jio.com. - 5
Screenshot each carrier's response. Different carriers render different block pages — capturing the actual page is what differentiates a DoT order from a Jio content filter.
- 6
Compare against a datacenter probe in Mumbai (AWS ap-south-1). If AWS Mumbai succeeds and consumer ASNs fail, the issue is access, not uptime.
- 7
Match the pattern to a cause. 4/4 fail with synchronized timing → DoT/MeitY order. 1–2 fail → operator content filter. Only mobile fails → carrier-grade content classification.
Indian carrier reference table
| Carrier | ASN (fixed) | ASN (mobile) | Behavior notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reliance Jio | AS55836 | AS55836 | Largest by subscribers; most aggressive content filter. Blocks even without DoT order on iGaming + adult. |
| Bharti Airtel | AS24560 | AS9498 | Distinct fixed vs mobile filtering. Mobile usually stricter. Block page: blocked.airtel.in. |
| Vi (Vodafone Idea) | AS55410 | AS55644 | Mid-aggressiveness; mostly follows DoT orders. Less own-initiative filtering. |
| BSNL | AS9829 | AS9829 | State-owned, slower enforcement (12–48h lag). Useful "lag carrier" for confirming an order. |
Pattern → cause → action
| Pattern | Cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 4 / 4 fail with synchronized timing | DoT / MeitY Section 69A order | Switch to mirror, file unblock representation through DoT process. |
| Jio fails on both paths only | Jio operator-level content filter | Pause Jio traffic sources; appeal whitelist with Jio. |
| Airtel mobile fails, Airtel fixed 200 | Airtel mobile content classification | Adjust prelander or contest classification with Airtel. |
| All mobile fails, fixed mostly 200 | Industry-wide mobile content rules | Rework offer / prelander; consider non-mobile sources. |
| All carriers see a CF challenge | Cloudflare bot rules vs IN residential | Loosen CF Bot Fight Mode; whitelist IN ASNs. |
DoT, MeitY, and Section 69A
India blocks online content via Section 69A of the IT Act, executed through MeitY directives to the
Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which then instructs ISPs to implement the block. Orders are
confidential by default, so you usually find out a block has landed because Jio and Airtel start
returning 451 or a block page within hours. Categories most affected for affiliate /
iGaming work: offshore betting, adult, dating, certain financial / crypto offers. Continuous
per-carrier monitoring is the only reliable way to detect the block in real time.
Related reading
To understand the concept of per-network checks, read what is ASN monitoring. For broader country-block diagnostics, see how to know if a domain is blocked in a country. For mirror rotation in regulated markets, see how to monitor rotating mirror domains.
FAQ
Which provider networks are blocking my offer in India?
Test the offer URL from real residential and mobile networks on the four major Indian carriers: Jio (AS55836), Airtel (AS24560 / AS9498), Vi / Vodafone Idea (AS55410 / AS55644), and BSNL (AS9829). The pattern of which carriers fail tells you the type of block. All four failing means a DoT-ordered country-level block. One or two failing means an operator-specific filter, typically Jio or Airtel applying content rules.
Which Indian ASNs should I monitor to cover the market?
Cover Jio, Airtel, Vi, and BSNL — together they account for over 95% of Indian mobile users and the majority of fixed broadband. Jio (AS55836) is the largest by subscriber count and most aggressive about content filtering; Airtel runs both AS24560 (fixed/broadband) and AS9498 (mobile/Bharti); Vi runs AS55410 and AS55644; BSNL (AS9829) is state-owned and slowest to apply blocks.
Does the DoT or TRAI block websites in India?
Yes. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), acting on orders from MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and IT) under Section 69A of the IT Act, regularly issues blocking orders that ISPs must implement within hours. Targets include offshore iGaming, betting, dating, and other categories. Court orders can also force blocks. Once an order is issued, multiple carriers go red simultaneously — that synchronized failure across Jio, Airtel, and Vi is the regulator-block signature.
Why does my offer work on Jio but not on Airtel?
Operators in India apply different content classification and filtering rules. Airtel and Jio sometimes block adult, betting, or affiliate offers at the network level even without a DoT order — Airtel via its content filter, Jio via its Jio Phone / JioFi defaults that propagate to the wider network. If one operator fails and others work, it's almost always operator-specific filtering, not a country block.
Are mobile and fixed-line carriers blocked the same way in India?
No. Mobile carriers (Jio, Airtel Mobile, Vi) typically enforce DoT orders within hours, while fixed-line networks (Airtel Broadband, BSNL FTTH) can lag by 12–48 hours. Mobile also applies its own per-operator content filters. Always test mobile and fixed-line separately — especially on Airtel, where AS24560 (fixed) and AS9498 (mobile) can give different results for the same URL.
How do I prove a Jio block to my Indian affiliate?
Capture timestamped screenshots and HTTP status codes from inside India on Jio (AS55836) alongside successful checks from Airtel, Vi, and BSNL on the same URL. A side-by-side incident report showing the offer renders fine on three carriers and shows a block page on Jio is exactly what affiliate networks need to refund or pause the source.
Edits
- 2026-05-27: First published.
Check your offer from Jio, Airtel, Vi and BSNL
Per-carrier checks from real Indian residential and mobile networks. See exactly which operator is blocking — and whether mobile differs from fixed. Free trial includes 8 ASNs.