MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Within the framework of the pilot project of the state program of Internetization, the construction of broadband fiber-optic infrastructure has been launched in the Ozurgeti geographical area of Guria.

The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Natia Turnava inspected the ongoing works at the site. Archil Talakvadze, Chairman of the Parliament, State Representative to the Region Zurab Nasaraia, Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Akaki Saghirashvili, and the Open Net Director Mamaria Sulaberidze got acquainted with the construction works of the Internet network in Ozurgeti.

“We are fulfilling the promise given by the Georgian Dream to the population - we have started a very important project of the Open Net and the works in the pilot municipality have been launched several days ago at a very high pace. We have identified Ozurgeti municipality as a pilot region, where in some places there is no internet, and in some places there is but of very low quality. We will already have the so-called “Illuminated” network, which means that high-quality internet will be already available by local families,” – Natia Turnava said.

The main parameters of the region are: number of settlements - 49, household – 8 516, population – 28 576 inhabitants, optical cable length - 150 km.

In parallel with the construction of the pilot network, internetization, with the support of the World Bank, is scheduled throughout Georgia – in total, 1000 settlements (including mountainous villages). Approximately 500 000 people benefit from the implementation of the broadband infrastructure provided by the project.

The need for quality and uninterrupted Internet connection became even more important in the COVID-19 pandemic reality, when a large part of the public switched onto the digital platforms. In parallel with the pilot network, the World Bank, in cooperation with the Government of Georgia, has developed the Log in Georgia project in support of the National Broadband Network Development Strategy for Georgia 2020-2025 and the Action Plan for its implementation, which envisages the provision of the access to the broadband internet in the regions. The Log in Georgia project has already received the funding of 35,7 million Euro (40 million USD) from the World Bank Executive Board.

It is important that the built-in broadband infrastructure provides open access services to any operator on free, unrestricted and non-discriminatory terms. With the developed model, operators will be given the opportunity to develop their own networks, while users will enjoy the quality Internet.

Open Net implements the project with the support of the Communications Commission and under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia.