Director of competitive pricing division of Strategy Analytics and author of the comparative study of telecom service prices, Josie Sephton, has talked about the results of the analysis. According to her, the price of high-volume and high-speed mobile and fixed internet services in Georgia are considerably above the average price in European countries that are part of the study: “High-volume and high-speed baskets are much more expensive in Georgia than in Europe. This means that Georgian consumers with higher consumption requirements have higher-than-average spending compared to their European counterparts,” the expert said. 

Josie Sephton also focussed on the prices of fixed broadband and bundled offers. According to her, the higher the speed, the higher and more restrictive the prices become: “Nearly all consumers in Georgia use low-speed broadband internet. Only a very small section of the subscribers uses 100 MB/sec or faster packages.” 

The expert also drew attention to the growth trends of internet use in Georgia. She emphasised that both fixed and mobile internet use has increased, and will continue to increase in the future: “As people spend more and more time online to access data, services or content, the provision of high-speed internet services becomes critically important.” 

In conclusion, Josie Sephton assessed the current situation for telecom service users in Georgia: “Until the prices for high-volume and high-speed services in Georgia are lowered, subscribers will be forced to use restrictive low-volume and low-speed services, or to pay premium prices for higher speed and volume.” 

As for the price of low-volume and low-speed telecommunication services, the expert explains that the aforementioned offers in Georgia are similar to the European average price, or cheaper. 

To improve on the results outlined in the comparative pricing analysis, the Communications Commission, upon the completion of the comprehensive study, will take the appropriate decisions to enable Georgian consumers to access high-volume and high-speed telecom services at affordable rates, similar to their European counterparts.