Who Owned Georgia English.pdf

WHO OWNED TELECOMMUNICATIONS?Walk down Tbilisi’s main streets today and you’ll be hardpressed to find an internet cafe. The hole-in-the-wall sanctumsto the world wide web are becoming dusty memories of a bygoneera as today’s Tbilisi is a modernizing capital with no shortage ofWiFi access, at least in the center of the city.In a 2011 media survey, the Caucasus Research ResourceCenter (CRRC) found that 23 percent of Georgian adults use theinternet every day; a 10% increase from 2009. We’d see morepeople online if their economic situation was better, as 40%noted access was too expensive; nevertheless, by 2011 117 , thenumber of internet subscribers in Georgia increased by 49%, to1,637,905, according to the Georgian National CommunicationsCommission (GNCC). 118 The use of mobile phones, however, ismuch higher as 55% of Georgians use a mobile phone severaltimes a day, according to a 2010 CRRC survey. As these figuresincrease so does the market demand for providing these services.Since moving to Georgia, I have subscribed to probably everyinternet provider there was. I have found that the rates, internetspeed, reliability and quality of service is about the same at eachcompany. If you ask which provider is the best, I say take yourpick; just please don’t ask me who owns them.Georgia’s internet market is dominated by two providers.Silknet is a Joint Stock Company (JSC) that showed up in Georgiajust a couple of years ago and has managed to become one of themain market players with the highest share of DSL subscribers(76%) in the country. Caucasus Online is the result of the 2006117 CRCC Online Research Resource Centers http://crrc.ge/oda/ Accessed05/12/2012118 GNCC Yearly Report 2011 in Georgian. p.49 http://www.gncc.ge/files/3100_2949_314871_1.pdf Accessed 05/12/201231