Representatives of the Communications Commission took part in the ninth Georgian Internet Governance Forum (IGF), where they discussed the country's digital potential, 5G and media literacy development opportunities, as well as the activities and challenges in this area. The event was opened by ComCom member Natia Kukuladze, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Guram Guramishvili, and Head of the USAID Private Sector Development David Tsiklauri. In her speech, Natia Kukuladze talked about the importance of the forum and stated that the Communications Commission prioritises the sharing of information and experience on these issues.

The opening part of the event was followed by panel sessions. ComCom member Ekaterine Imedadze took part in the session on the subject of “Georgia on the Crossroads of International Internet Connectivity and New Challenges of Internet Fragmentation,” where she talked about opportunities and challenges associated with Georgia’s goal of establishing itself as a digital hub connecting Europe and Asia. More specifically, she discussed the new requirements in the region regarding international connectivity and digital independence, which create the potential for Georgia to become a connecting digital corridor through the Black Sea. In her speech, Ekaterine Imedadze focussed on the role of the Communications Commission and stated that ComCom is actively working to open the telecom sector and create a supportive environment for the implementation of the aforementioned strategic goal.

Head of Technology and Spectrum Department of the Communications Commission Sandro Karumidze moderated the panel session on the subject of “Development of Internet Infrastructure.” The purpose of the session was to assess the current state of 5G internet, virtual mobile operators, the infrastructure sharing law and the internet exchange centre, and to discuss development opportunities. Other participants in this panel session included ComCom’s Head of Competition and Market Regulation Department Eka Sichinava, who assessed the mobile market development trends in Georgia and the development prospects for 5G networks and virtual operators.

A further panel session was held on teaching digital literacy, where the results and challenges of teaching digital literacy in Georgia, as well as the issues of cyber education at the academic level and digital citizenship index were discussed. ComCom member Natia Kukuladze took part in this session and provided a summary of activites implemented by the Commission in this field. She highlighted the achievements of the project to integrate media literacy into formal education, which involved the Commission providing media literacy training to 600 teachers, and devising an appropriate teaching module and textbook. As a result, pupils can choose media literacy as a separate school subject from 2023. Ms Kukuladze noted that ComCom prioritises a systematic approach at all levels of education. To this end, the Commission continues to support the aforementioned project, and works towards the integration of media literacy in higher education. During her speech, the ComCom member reviewed the existing challenges and opportunities in Georgia in this regard.

The Georgian Internet Governance Forum aims to promote the process of public consultations on issues related to internet governance, and to facilitate stakeholder involvement and identification of local challenges in this field.