Page 64 - GEORptOct22

EU may finance undersea fibre-optic cable to Georgia
Georgia’s post-Covid connectivity plan targets investments of €3.9bn
expected to be finished by the year’s end.
Georgia has “successfully” used blockchain technology and has become the first country in the world to introduce it for use in public services, the PM also advised Ripple. That use is in the land registration process. Officials said its utilisation has resulted in an operating costs reduction of around one third. Garibashvili also mentioned Georgia’s ongoing talks with the FTX Crypto Derivatives company for the opening of a regional office in the country.
The European Union (EU) is considering financing the construction of a new fibre-optic cable in the Black Sea, said Lawrence Meredith, the European Commission's Director for Relations with the Eastern Neighborhood and Institution Building, who paid an official visit to Georgia in mid-October.
"Strengthening digital connections is being considered by laying fibre-optic cable on the seabed. At the same time, we want to support Georgia's regional digitalization and develop internet access in the regions,” Meredith said at a conference in Batumi, quoted by Business Media Georgia (BMG).
The Georgian government itself announced the laying of a new internet cable in the Black Sea in early 2021. At that time, Minister of Economy Natia Turnava said that Georgian State Electrosystem (GSE) was considering the construction of a high voltage power transmission cable connecting Romania. Along with the same cable, the state-owned company is also studying the possibility of laying an internet cable. The World Bank's assists GSE in evaluating the project.
"The Black Sea submarine cable project, which is currently being studied, aims to connect the power systems of Georgia and Romania (in a broader sense - the regions of the South Caucasus and the Eastern Balkans) via the Black Sea. The technical survey, it should be a 500-kV HVDC cable, about 1,000 MW capacity," said GSE officials. The project also envisages the laying of a new internet cable at the bottom of the Black Sea.
Today, Georgia has access to the internet mainly through the internet cable on the bottom of the Black Sea. Caucasus Online is the owner and operator of the fibre-optic cable connecting Bulgaria-Georgia.
Connectivity has been put at the top of the agenda in Georgia, following a visit earlier this month from Europe's commissioner for neighbourhood and enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi.
In an address to officials, Várhelyi said the country was facing issues due to its lack of communications connectivity with other nations and to vital utilities such as in electricity provision.
As a result, during his trip Várhelyi announced a series of proposals to "improve access to digital services and broadband internet throughout the country, and also to introduce to Georgia our Green Deal and our Digital plans".
Confirming "five flagship initiatives" for Georgia on Black Sea connectivity, Varhelyi said the strategy "should bring in at least €3.9bn" in investments over the coming years.
The developments come less than four months since the Venice Commission and the Council of Europe Directorate General of Human Rights and Rule of Law said that new powers granted last year to the Georgian National Communications Commission (GNCC) were "not in line with European standards".
Although unable to comment on specific issues, Varhelyi said of the regulatory environment in Georgia: "Bearing in mind these planned investments in digital connectivity, the independence of the responsible regulator in the field of
64 GEORGIA Country Report October 2022 www.intellinews.com