The Communications Commission has postponed public administrative proceedings on the comprehensive study of the mobile market until 9 August, while the oral hearing has been scheduled for 18 July. The Commission postponed the administrative proceedings due to Magticom presenting additional comments that require in-depth processing, studying, and additional time. 

As a result of the comprehensive study commissioned by ComCom, EU experts found that the Georgian mobile communications market is uncompetitive and this circumstance will not change for at least the next three years without ex-ante regulation, causing Georgian consumers to suffer. Furthermore, Magticom was found to be an operator with significant market power, and specific obligations were determined for the company. 

In the event that members of the Commission share the experts’ opinion, Magticom will be declared an operator with significant market power, and the appropriate obligations will be imposed. It is worth noting that the Commission ensured the involvement of telecom operators at all stages of research. 

In 2022, the Communications Commission, together with the experts of the European Union, with the funding of the European Union and within the framework of the assistance for the implementation of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Georgia (“AA Facility II”), started working on the comprehensive research project on the Georgian telecom market. The project serves to enhance competition on the Georgian telecommunications market, bring the regulatory framework of Georgia closer to the European framework in accordance with the obligations under the Association Agreement, as well as provide diverse, high-quality and affordable services for consumers. The comprehensive study was conducted over two years. Research of this magnitude has not been conducted on the Georgian telecom market before. The study conducted by the EU experts was also revised by the experts of TAIEX (EU Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Tool).