Having assumed the chairmanship of the European Audiovisual Observatory (EAO) Executive Council in 2024, Georgia hosted the 71st working meeting of the organisation, titled “Market Competitiveness – Implications for the Industry and for Regulators of Smaller Countries.” The meeting was opened by ComCom member and Georgia’s representative on the Executive Council, Ivane Makharadze, who assessed the current state of the audiovisual sector in Georgia and the role of...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, the number of customers receiving transit broadcasting services in 2023 decreased by 9000 year-on-year to 745,000, which was due to the termination of Magtisat services. The customer density also decreased slightly: the usage of transit broadcasting services by customers amounted to 67.1%, which is 1% less than in 2022. It is worth noting that with the exception of 2023, the number of transit broadcasting users grew in each...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, the communications sector contributed a total of GEL 499,573,882 to the state budget in 2023, which is GEL 65,274,127 more than in the previous year. Out of this amount, GEL 56,048,528 was contributed by broadcasters to the Georgian state budget in the form of taxes, while GEL 441,467,364 was contributed by authorised entities in accordance with the Law of Georgia on Electronic Communications. Licensing revenues accounted...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, the fixed broadband penetration rate in Georgian households was 95.7%.  The highest penetration rate of fixed broadband among the regions of Georgia was in Adjara (137%), followed by Tbilisi (136%), Samtskhe-Javakheti (98%), Kvemo Kartli and Mtskheta-Mtianeti (85%), Shida Kartli (72%), Kakheti and Imereti (66%), Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti (60%), Guria (58%), and Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti (19%).  As of 2023,...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, the 30 MB/sec package is the most popular fixed broadband package in Georgia, while only 10,000 customers (1% of all natural person customers) used the 100 MB/sec package. In comparison, 55% of households in Europe use a 100 MB/sec or faster package. This data echoes the results of the benchmarking study, based on which the use of high-speed fixed internet is limited for Georgian subscribers due to high prices. The report...

The 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission includes the distribution of mobile devices by manufacturer. Samsung still accounts for the largest share of mobile devices in Georgia with 37.3%, which is 1.1% lower than in the previous year. Apple’s share increased by 1.8% year-on-year to 19.8%. Xiaomi’s share increased by 0.1% to 14.7%. Huawei’s share decreased by 1.1% to 4.1%. Microsoft/Nokia’s share increased by 2.6% to 6.6%. Lenovo’s share decreased...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, revenues collected by mobile operators from retail services increased by GEL 92 million year-on-year to a total of GEL 788 million in 2023, with Magticom accounting for 49% of the revenues, Silknet for 35% and Cellfie Mobile for 16%.  Magticom’s mobile service revenues increased by GEL 42 million year-on-year to a total of GEL 385 million. Silknet collected GEL 275 million in revenues – 35 million more than...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, there were 1,115,000 fixed broadband internet users last year, which is 39,100 more than in 2022. The number of natural person customers increased by 3.6%, while the number of legal entity customers increased by 4%. The report also states that over the last 5 years, the average annual growth of the number of subscribers was 4.3% for natural persons and 4.6% for legal entities. It is worth noting that the number of natural...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, the volume of online traffic generated by mobile service users in 2023 increased by 28% year-on-year to 551 petabytes. Magticom users accounted for 48% of the total traffic, followed by Silknet users (33%) and Cellfie Mobile users (19%). This growth was conditioned by the increase in the number of mobile internet users and the number of new-generation phones on the market, as well as the increased demand for online...

According to the 2023 Activity Report of the Communications Commission, the number of mobile internet users in Georgia is growing fast due to an increased demand for online services and digital platforms. Specifically, the number of internet subscribers increased by 200,000 year-on-year to 4.3 million. During the same period, the density of mobile internet users in relation to the population of Georgia increased by 6% to 125%, while the density in relation to mobile service subscribers...