MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

On January 14, 2021, a Memorandum on Secure 5G Networks was signed between the United States and Georgia. The Memorandum was signed online.

The event was attended by Natia Turnava, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Keith Crock, US Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment, as well as Genadi Arveladze and Akaki Saghirashvili, Deputy Ministers of Economy and Sustainable Development Ambassador Giorgi Tsikolia, Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan.

The Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Natia Turnava, the US Deputy Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment Keith Crock, as well as the Deputy Ministers of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Genadi Arveladze and Akaki Saghirashvili, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Georgia to the US, Giorgi Tsikolia, Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and the US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan, attended the event.

The Memorandum emphasizes the importance of the US-Georgia cooperation in the development of fifth generation wireless communications (5G) networks. According to the Memorandum, 5G provides an opportunity to create a wide range of applications, including those to be used to provide important services to the public, which will bring benefits to the citizens and economies of the both countries.

At the same time, given the importance of the 5G, the document highlights the importance of protecting communications networks from interruptions or manipulation. The Memorandum emphasizes the need to support reliable and trusted network hardware and software providers in the 5G markets, taking into account the National Security Risk Profile assessment, as well as the need to support infrastructure that effectively protects 5G networks from unauthorized access or intrusion. According to the document, it is important to follow the rule of law when evaluating market suppliers, security environment, supplier ethical practices, supplier compliance with safety standards and the best practices in the field.

Under the Memorandum, the parties recognize that the 5G suppliers must provide products and services that enable innovation and promote efficiency. These products and services should ensure fair competition and promote further development by involving maximum market participants.

According to the Memorandum, in order to facilitate the creation of a secure next-generation telecommunications infrastructure supply chain, the United States and Georgia will work with innovations in both bilateral and multilateral formats to provide a diverse and robust supply chain for secure and reliable next-generation wireless networks.

Cooperation of the Georgia with the US Government on the basis of the Memorandum will facilitate the security of the 5G networks, telecommunications infrastructure, data protection and privacy, which will be an important step in the development of the next generation Internet trusted ecosystem, digital services and digital economy as a whole.

The 5G internet infrastructure development is a new opportunity for Georgia. A new generation technology provides incredible speed communication and connection. The introduction of the 5G technology is also transforming and taking to a completely new level such important sectors as healthcare, education, business, agriculture and more.

The 5G technology gives people a unique opportunity to make life easier and get services that they have not had the resources and ability to do before. One of the most important areas that the new generation of the Internet is developing is the healthcare. The infrastructure created by the 5G Internet allows the introduction of new types of medical procedures. The 5G is important for the education system, which has faced a major challenge as a result of the pandemic. Innovative technology enables the education system to provide distance learning more effectively for pupils and students.

With the signing of the 5G Network Memorandum between Georgia and the United States, Georgia joined the Clean Network initiative, which emphasizes the necessity of the use of the hardware and software products provided by the trusted suppliers to provide national security and safe communications infrastructure.