Russian Regulators Order Removal of Ooklas Speedtest Software Amid Security Concerns

On July 31, 2025, the Center for Monitoring and Management of the General Communication Network (CMU GCN), part of the Main Radio Frequency Center (GRCHC) under the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor), issued letters to Russian telecom operators regarding the removal of Speedtest Ookla server software from their IT systems.

«The CMU GCN, which operates under Roskomnadzor, has sent letters to telecom operators instructing them to eliminate Speedtest Ookla software,» reported Roskomnadzor.

Earlier, Roskomnadzor explained to the media the reasons behind the blocking of the internet speed measurement service Speedtest provided by Ookla in Russia. According to the regulatory agency, Speedtest collects data that could potentially be exploited for cyberattacks against Russian communication networks and companies.

«The American company gathers information about the structure and performance of the Russian communication network, including details about the devices, node capacities, and the geographical and temporal availability of regional network segments. Data collected by the American service can be used for planning, organizing, conducting, and evaluating the effectiveness of attacks on Russian communication networks and the systems connected to them,» said representatives of Roskomnadzor in a media statement.

The regulator advises using «trusted Russian services.» Roskomnadzor reported that «specialists from the CMU GCN under Roskomnadzor have developed a free tool called «ProNetwork». This mobile application is an Android equivalent of the SpeedTest service designed to assess connection quality on mobile devices for users in Russia.

On July 30, 2025, Roskomnadzor blocked the Speedtest service provided by Ookla in Russia due to identified security threats affecting the general communication network and the Russian segment of the Internet. A list of alternatives to Speedtest can be found in this publication.

In October 2024, media reported that there were plans to legally prohibit Russian operators from using Ookla’s SpeedTest due to potential collaboration between the American company and U.S. intelligence agencies for creating a network monitoring system, as well as the risks of cyberattacks.

Media sources clarified that the initiative to ban SpeedTest was supported by members of the State Duma, FSB, and the International Academy of Communications (IAC). It is likely that other foreign internet speed measurement services will also be banned, and telecom operators will be required to utilize Russian software products to measure data transfer rates within their networks, such as the «Linkmeter», TelecomDaily’s «Megabitus,» or QMS from Rostelecom.