The European Union experts have found the Georgian mobile communications market is “non-competitive” and the situation will not change for at least the next three years without prior regulation, the Georgian National Communications Commission said on Tuesday.

Study commissioned by the Commission with the experts found the domestic retail and mobile access wholesale market was characterised by “low dynamism”, “scarcity of innovations” and “lack of progress”, the national regulatory body added.

After studying the market, the experts found MagtiCom to be an operator with a significant market power and defined specific obligations it”, the body said in reference to one of the providers of the service in the country.

The Commission said the study had been conducted over two years with the involvement of telecom operators in Georgia at all stages. The EU experts were assisted by experts of the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange - an EU institution building tool - in revising the study.

The funding for the study was provided by the European Union as part of the assistance for the implementation of the Association Agreement between the bloc and the country.

The study serves to bring the regulatory framework of Georgia closer to the European one and provide “diverse, high-quality, and affordable” services for consumers, the Commission said.

The national body will discuss the results of the market analysis at a public meeting on June 6. 

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