World Telecommunication Symposium opens in Georgia

Georgia is hosting the 12th annual World Telecommunication ICT Indicators Symposium (WTIS), which brings together international experts and gives them the opportunity to discuss global ICT telecommunication and measurement issues.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili today opened the two-day event, which is being held at the Radisson Blu Iveria hotel in Tbilisi.

In his opening remarks, Garibashvili spoke about the strategic importance of the communication sector and noted that development of this sector was among the priorities of the Georgian Government.

The PM also noted the Government was ready to encourage investors to support the country as it moved to create necessary infrastructure for providing the Georgian population with fast internet.

Furthermore, Garibashvili said Georgia was starting its transition from analogue to digital terrestrial broadcasting from June 17, 2015.

The progress Georgia had made in terms of information and communication technology was also highlighted in the PM’s speech.

Garibashvili drew attention to the Global Information Technology Report 2014 published by the World Economic Forum, in which Georgia had improved on the Network Preparedness Index by 28 stages.

"By establishing different multi-service electronic management systems and by effective use of information and communication technologies, today only 15-20 minutes are needed for business registration and procedures of issuing personal documents and different public services,” he said.

Before opening the symposium, PM Garibashvili met with newly elected Secretary General of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Houlin Zhao and ITU Telecommunication Development Bureau Director Brahima Sanou.

Garibashvili congratulated Zhao on his recent appointment and offered supportive words to Sanou for being elected for a second term.

According to the WTIS website, the annual symposium is the main global forum to discuss international ICT statistics and information society measurement. The event is targetedat those responsible for ICT statistics in relevant ministries, regulatory agencies, national statistical offices, telecommunication operating companies, as well asexperts in the subject of information society measurement.

The WTIS is organised by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and hosted by the Government of Georgia.