The Communications Commission, together with the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, presented to mobile operators the results of the economic impact analysis conducted for the purpose of Georgia's accession to the European Union roaming space. The project serves to prepare the relevant legal and economic bases, reduce roaming tariffs and reduce both wholesale and retail tariffs for international calls made between Georgia and the European Union. Within the framework of the meeting, European experts focussed on the positive effects that the connection to the roaming space will bring.

The analysis found that by connecting to the common roaming space, the costs incurred by Georgian subscribers for mobile services will be significantly reduced. Furthermore, both large businesses and SMEs will have the opportunity to benefit from innovative communication products and, at the same time, expand the area of consumption of their digital products. The accession will also contribute to the development of the Georgian digital market, harmonisation with the single digital market of the European Union, and the process of integration into the EU. Additionally, Georgia will become more attractive for tourists and foreign investors.

In order to join the EU roaming space, Georgia’s legal framework and regulatory norms related to roaming must fully comply with the legislation and regulations of the European Union and BEREC. To this end, the project will examine the needs for approximation of the legal environment of the European Union and Georgia. Afterwards, qualified experts involved in the research will present their recommendations for further measures. Furthermore, specialists from ComCom and the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia will be involved in preparing primary and secondary draft laws which will ensure harmonisation of the Georgian legislation with the EU legislation.

The common EU roaming space services are known under the “Roam Like at Home” (RLAH) name. They allow EU-based subscribers to use mobile services in other EU countries without additional roaming charges, or at significantly discounted tariffs.