Users on Reliance Jio’s and Bharti Airtel network have reported significantly high latency issue when accessing websites utilizing Cloudflare’s services.
The issue manifests as prolonged loading times, high ping rates, and, in some cases network packet loss, affecting both Jio and Airtel mobile data and Fiber & AirFiber connections.
Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited is the biggest ISP in India controlling over 50% of the connectivity in the country while Bharti AIrtel Limited is second largest ISP controlling over 35% of the connectivity causing big issue to Cloudflare.
It’s because the traffic being routed to distant data centers like Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA) and Singapore (SIN) where internet bandwidth is more affordable instead of the closer ones like Mumbai (BOM) and Chennai (MAA).
It’s not the case with other small medium local internet service providers. This distant routes cause a very high latency, high pings, and slow network to Indian users and it ultimately fails the role of using a content delivery network.
Community Observations:
Many users noted extremely high latency (400-800ms) and packet loss when connecting to Cloudflare’s Mumbai server via Jio.
Some users also reported that websites using Cloudflare load at extremely slow speeds, sometimes below 100 kbps, on JioFiber connections.
Everything works very well when switched to other network.
Contacting Cloudflare straightaway blames Jio network for their some sort blacklist and bad routing. But I suspect the heavy cost of Indian bandwidth compared to EU countries causing distant datacenter selections.
Potential Causes:
While the exact reasons for these latency issues are not definitively known, as I am still figuring it out, but they may stem from:
Network Routing Inefficiencies: Suboptimal routing paths between Airtel’s or Jio’s network and Cloudflare’s servers can increase latency.
ISP Traffic Management Policies: Airtel’s and Jio’s internal traffic management or peering arrangements might inadvertently affect connectivity to certain services.
Suggested Remedies:
Contact Cloudflare Support: Many people tried this, but no exact response it given. But you can try once to know the exact reason for you. Just the blame is given.
Contact Jio and Airtel Support: Report the issue to respective customer service to raise awareness and potentially prompt internal investigations. Unless you are some big customer using their services, contact support may not work for you.
Traceroute Analysis: Perform a traceroute to identify where delays occur in the network path. This information can be valuable when discussing the issue.
Alternative DNS Services: Switching to a different DNS provider, such as Google DNS (8.8.8.8), may improve resolution times, though it may not fully resolve latency issues if the problem lies in deeper network routing.
Use VPN Services: Employing a reputable VPN can sometimes bypass routing issues by establishing a more direct path to the destination server. However, this may introduce additional latency depending on the VPN service used.
Monitor and Document: Keep records of latency patterns, including times of day when issues are most severe. This data can assist both users and service providers in diagnosing and addressing the problem.
Conclusion:
The high latency experienced by Airtel and Jio users accessing Cloudflare-backed websites is a complex issue that may involve multiple factors, including network routing and ISP policies. Collaborative efforts between users and Airtel’s & Jio’s support teams, coupled with proactive measures like traceroute analysis and alternative DNS usage, may help mitigate the problem. Continued monitoring and reporting are essential to drive improvements in network performance.
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