What are the existing challenges on the Georgian telecommunications market, what opportunities are afforded to virtual operators by the decision regarding the mandatory access of MVNOs, what are ComCom’s plans regarding the implementation of 5G technology in Georgia, and what challenges are associated with Georgia’s top-level DNS zones? These are some of the issues addressed by representatives of the Communications Commission at the Georgian Internet Governance Forum...

“When the telecommunications market is fully saturated, investments have already been made and competition is no longer growing, regulators must make the acceptance of MVNOs mandatory,” principal analyst and competition expert at Cullen International, Veronica Bocarova, told the forum of Georgian Network Operators Group (GeoNOG 2020). The Cullen International expert does not believe that MVNOs can present any form of threat in Georgia. According to her, international practices...

The application period for the media literacy contest “Truth or Fiction?” has been extended by two weeks. Baccalaureate students now have until 26 November to submit their entries. The Communications Commission took the decision to extend the application period due to the high level of interest and demand. The contest, which aims to develop critical thinking, analysis and fact-checking skills among young people, was announced on 12 October. All baccalaureate students can take part...

Television advertising revenues increased by 24% year-on-year during the third quarter, totaling GEL 15.9 million, which includes advertising, sponsorship, product placement, notices and teleshopping. Notably, direct advertising accounted for 87% of all advertising revenues, while sponsorship and product placement accounted for 6% each.  The largest revenue figures in Q3 were posted by Imedi TV (GEL 6.1 million, which represents a 20% increase year-on-year). Rustavi 2 posted revenues...

The Communications Commission publishes the first qualitative and quantitative interim report on the media monitoring of the pre-election period of Georgia’s parliamentary election. The report covers the period from September 1 to September 30. The qualitative media monitoring was conducted on 6 national broadcasters, including First Channel of the Public Broadcaster, Adjara Public Broadcaster, Rustavi 2, Imedi TV, Pirveli TV and Mtavari TV. The monitoring covered the primetime...

The Communications Commission has published the quarterly edition of ComCom Digest for persons who are interested in the telecommunications sector. It includes an overview of the key events that took place during the months of August, September and October, decisions taken by the Commission and market development trends that are presented in the form of notices and videos. What are Georgia’s advantages in its quest to become a digital hub, what changes have been made in the Law...

At today’s public meeting, the Communications Commission discussed the cases of violation of the Election Code by 10 broadcasters during the pre-election period. The Commission issued Mtavari Arkhi, Imedi, Formula and Palitra TV with protocols for violating Article 50 of the Election Code by publishing results of a public opinion poll within 48 hours before the vote. TV Formula failed to include mandatory information while publishing the results of its exit poll. The Commission also...

The Communications Commission will help the winners and other participants of the “Truth or Fiction?” competition with career development by providing certified training. The training programme is composed of learning materials from the BBC Academy. After completing the course, participants will be issued with certificates and receive the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience with other pupils and students at schools and universities. Most importantly, the opportunity...

The Communications Commission has published ComCom Digest for the month of October, which covers important issues such as pre-election media monitoring, “Truth or Fiction?” competition for university students, as well as international meetings and conferences. ComCom digest allows the public to obtain full information about the Commission’s projects and activities during the month of October. ComCom Digest provides an overview of the important decisions taken by the...

The Communications Commission has upheld the complaint filed by European Georgia against Imedi TV and issued the broadcaster with a protocol for violating the legislation. The case concerns a paid political advert submitted for placement by European Georgia, which Imedi refused to broadcast. Teleimedi cited two reasons for refusing to broadcast the advert. First, the video clip was not submitted in accordance with the terms of the agreement on pre-election advertising. More specifically, the...