1. 2010 Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia Communications and IT Department Overview of the Georgian ICT Sphere and its Future Development Irakli Kashibadze Head of ICT Deapartment

2. Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia

3. Main Components of Governmental strategy for Development Telecommunications  Organization of competitive environment  Minimally sufficient system of regulation for the operators  No barriers for private sector investments to access the market Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia

4. New legislative environment  Law on Electrical Communications  law on Broadcasting  Law on Entrepreneurship  Law on Licensing  Tax Code  Low of Electronic Signature and Electronic Documentation  Technical regulation towards issuer of e-signature certificate  New entrants on the market only have to authorize to start an operation, licensing is needed only for acquiring radio frequencies and numbering recourses. Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia

5. International Cooperation  International Telecommunication Union  Universal Postal Union  European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia  Transnational character of telecommunications and the tendencies of globalization of economy lead to further integration with the international information space, including standardization, specifications of technical operation and legal maintenance

6. Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia National numbering system of electronic communications networks of Georgia  Is developed pursuant to the Law of Georgia on Electronic Communications  Based on the recommendations of ITU and CEPT  National numbering system of electronic communications networks of Georgia shall ensure : Introduction of modern technical specifications and technologies New types of services Development of business activity and long-term competition Atraction of Investmants Creation of new working places  New numbering plan will simplify numbering resources accruing procedures and increase potential ability to choose new operators on the Georgian telecommunication market

7. Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia Digital TV-Radio broadcasting Development Technical complex project  The project comprise :  Network organization  Technological and technical solutions  Political and legal aspects  Consumer aspects  Digital TV-Radio broadcasting will be implemented until 2015 in the country

8. Currant plans Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia  Liberalization of radio-frequencies spectrum  will enable creation of new mobile operators and new innovation services on the market  Universal broadband services issues  Will provide major part of Georgia’s population with access to the broadband internet  S upport of creation of export oriented software market  Creation of Technological Parks oriented on software production in the country  Software Technological Parks have possibility to make use of talents gathered for research and innovation projects or global technological companies. Conditions in the Software Technological Parks will be attractive for opening local representing offices and service centers of IT companies

9. Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia National Cyber security Strategy of Georgia  National Cyber security Strategy is consistent with our National Security Concept on “Information Related Challenges  The Strategy is a basis for a coordinated approach to protecting critical information infrastructure and classified information against cyber threats  This Strategy explains the Government’s approach to :  Preventing cyber attacks against Georgia’s critical infrastructure  Reducing national vulnerability to cyber attacks  Minimizing damage and recovery time from successful cyber attacks

10. Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia  For developing the competition and entrepreneurship in postal sector will be adopted :  The Postal Law  Postal manuals

11. Schools’ computerization projects Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia  Schools’ computerization project “Deer Leap” which started in 2005 and will end by 2011  All schools of the country to be equipped with computer classes interconnected to internet network. By utilization of this project will be establish e- learning systems throughout the Georgia  Next year by the initiative of President of Georgia all first-formers will get modern children computers with school program (curriculum) loaded free of charge.

12. Electronic government Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia  We take active steps towards implementation of Government 2.0 to fully utilize resources of new technologies which will give possibility to population and businesses to enter into full interaction  Planned to have a governmental project at the Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia open for the population to generate their own ideas and suggestions  Georgian Governmental Network (GGN)  Georgian government has launched a new Georgian Governmental Network GGN project, first phase of which was to build the infrastructure. It was finished last year. More than 500 points were developed in different Ministries and entities in the framework of the project  In the country already successfully have been implemented e-payment, e- commerce and many e-services  E-declaration service has been implemented this year, population is issued biometric passports already, and beginning 2011 E-IDs will be introduced

13. Forming of a new space of ICT connecting Europe and Asia Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia

16. Development of Telecommunications field in the country Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia  More than 1,5 million internet users  More than 3 million active subscribers in mobile networks  3.5G technologies is already developed in Georgia  In PSTN networks modern digital switches amount 94.3 % of general capacity of installed switches  Ltd “GTC”, Ltd “MagtiCom” and Ltd “Silknet” are developing fixed wireless telephone services based on CDMA, The number of fixed wireless telephone services subscribers are increasing day by day

17. Main Challenges Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia  Main challenge of communications and IT department is ensuring :  Liberalization of radio-frequencies  Development of export oriented software market  Equal development of communications systems in all regions of Georgia  Development of e-commerce, e-learning and e-medicine system for the business, social and economical stability  Promotion of new telecommunication highways between Europe and Asia  Development of the production of ICT means  Transition from analog broadcasting to digital one  Overcoming the existing gap of the informational society between Georgia and the rest of the world  Increase of ICT literacy of the population; development of information security of the country; intensify international co-operation towards innovations of the ICT.

18. Thank you Ministry of Economic Development of Georgia Communications and IT Department Irakli Kashibadze Ministry of Economical Development of Georgia Head of ICT Department www.economy.ge