Georgian Communications Commission member highlights “ambition” to turn country into “digital services hub”

Ekaterine Imedadze, the member of the Georgian Communications Commission, told the Mobile World Congress, an annual trade event of the industry, that her office had an “ambition” to turn the country into a “regional hub of safe and sustainable digital services”.

The Commission on Thursday said Imedadze highlighted the importance of cooperation between the sides involved in the digital ecosystem, and emphasised the role of regulatory bodies, at the Congress session on global cooperation in security, telecommunications and technology, hosted in Barcelona.

Georgia received the European Union membership candidate status a few months ago, which imposes new, broader obligations on us in terms of harmonising our legislation, standards and practices with the EU policy [...] [A]t the same time, it gives us even more opportunities”, she told the event.

She said cooperation with European organisations and international platforms offered a “guiding framework” that would help to establish a “flexible, sustainable and safe” digital ecosystem, and noted in the process of harmonising the country’s legislation with the EU, it was important to consider the “context of the country and the existing market situation”.

Representatives from the EU Agency for Cybersecurity, the Interpol, Google and Etisalat by e& took part in the session to discuss “opportunities and challenges of cybersecurity in the technological era”, as well as cooperation of regional and sectoral organisations for creating a “secure ecosystem, avoid fragmentation and maintain openness and interoperability”, the Commission said.

Imadedze and representatives of the Commission are scheduled to hold bilateral meetings to discuss joint initiatives and opportunities for deepening cooperation with participating organisations at the MWC.