Telecommunications company VimpelCom, which owns the Beeline brand, is beginning testing of an enhanced DPI system—deep packet inspection technology—as reported by the publication Sistema.
According to journalists, telecom operators already use DPI, but Beeline is currently seeking a supplier for a more advanced version capable of filtering traffic, including that encrypted via the HTTPS protocol.
As Sistema notes, the new system to be implemented by Beeline, unlike the previous version, will be able to sort traffic into dozens of thematic categories, such as VPNs and anonymizers, games, messengers, adult content, and others.
Such detailed categorization indicates plans to elevate internet control in Russia to a new level, making it more difficult to bypass blocks. According to the technical specifications, the DPI system must recognize traffic even on new protocols like QUIC and ESNI, which were originally designed with a focus on privacy.
Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) is a technology for deep analysis of network packets. According to a cybersecurity expert (who wished to remain anonymous) in a conversation with Novaya-Europe, this is an expensive, high-tech solution that was previously used only by Roskomnadzor at state expense as part of the Technical Means of Countering Threats (TMСU) for blocking internet resources. Operators connected Roskomnadzor's equipment to comply with state requirements and did so not on their own initiative.
Indeed, the use of DPI at the operator level represents a new scheme, but the reasons why operators should independently invest billions in such self-regulation remain unclear, the source noted.
The situation is assessed as serious, but the confrontation between the latest bypass protocols (such as VPNs) and DPI technology will continue. Now DPI will be used both by operators and Roskomnadzor.
The requirements and functionality of the new DPI system are detailed in the project documentation, while Roskomnadzor hardly discloses its own capabilities. What exactly will be implemented in the system after development will remain unknown, the expert added. He also recalled that as far back as September 2024, Roskomnadzor planned to modernize the website blocking system, allocating 59 billion rubles for this purpose.