Github.com is blocked from LycaMobile ES

Dear LycaMobile, please unblock access to github.com. The blocking seems to be at the DNS level.

I’m sure this blocking is not intentional – more likely a mistake in configuration, a change in DNS somewhere, and no-one has reported it.

I’ve signed up for a LycaMobile Pay-as-you-go SIM account, and registered our personal details (purchasing SIM cards in Spain requires you to provide photographic identity, and registration of your identity!).

Trying to access Github does not work. Access to Github.com is blocked at the network level.

(Github.com is the US company that provides hosting for software development and version control using Git)

Using Ooni (the Open Observatory of Network Interference) tool I ran a quick test to determine any interference with access to www.github.com. Ooni tells me:

1.05% Processing input: https://github.com/ (10013.20s left)
web_connectivity: starting dns_query for github.com
web_connectivity: dns-query error: dns_temporary_failure
web_connectivity: starting tcp_connect
web_connectivity: starting http_request to https://github.com/
web_connectivity: http-request error: dns_lookup_error
web_connectivity: doing control request
Using backend https://wcth.ooni.io
web_connectivity: comparing control with experiment
web_connectivity: BLOCKING detected due to: dns on https://github.com/
1.11% ending the test (11502.48s left)
1.11% test complete (11502.49s left)
1.12% starting the test (11646.82s left)

LycaMobile is an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) – meaning it is a mobile operator that does not own it’s own radio access network equipment (the towers your phone/data device uses to connect to the mobile network. In this case it uses Movistar’s radio network equipment).

The MVNO also arranges a business agreement with the mobile network operator (in this case Movistar) to obtain bulk access to network services at wholesale rates. It then sets it’s prices independently.

It would be very unusual to have protocol blocking functionality in the radio network of a mobile phone network, so it is more likely the blocking is being done by LycaMobile’s 4G packet data equipment.

Note to self: The issue I’m having looks similar to this, but it’s not it.