Technological platforms utilized for internet services are still considered as a growing technology in Georgia. On the one hand, our country is one of the regional leaders in terms of development of e-governance. However, on the other hand, Georgia has not overcome so called digital gap – uneven development of internet accessibility between cities and regions. It is noteworthy that according to International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, internet is accessible for 45% of the population of Georgia.

Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) regularly analyses the existing information in this field. This time institute addressed Georgian National Communication Commission for the request of corresponding data as of 2013. IDFI requested data on wired, wireless and mobile internet users according to regions, cities, technologies, authorized entities, physical and corporate users. Below we are presenting main findings after processing the received information.

First of all, tendencies regarding users of wired internet are worth mentioning. The received information revealed that since 2010 Georgia has made progress in this direction: while in 2010 there were 252 131 subscribers who browsed internet through wired internet, as of October, 2013 the number of these subscriptions equaled 434 969. Despite growing tendency, it is evident from the graph below that during the previous two years (2012-2013) market of wired internet has not undergone fundamental changes.

Internet availability according to regions is even more interesting. The provided figures show that in terms of wired internet users Tbilisi (with 273 396 subscriptions) is followed by Imereti holding the second position with 42 198 subscriptions. Unfortunately, these data illustrate uneven accessibility of wired internet in Georgia, especially in regions. Out of these regions, wired internet is least accessible in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, Guria and Mtskheta-Mtianeti – overall, by October, 2013 in total 4 928 wired internet subscriptions were recorded in these three regions.

Furthermore, according to the data obtained from the Commission, the capital is followed by the following cities in terms ofthe number of wireless internet subscriptions: Kutaisi, Rustavi and Batumi.

While analyzing the existing situation on the internet market, it is of vital importance to display which companies operate in Georgia and how users are distributed among them. It is obvious from the data that Silknet, one of the internet service providers, is leading the wired internet market with more than 212 thousand subscriptions. This company is followed by Caucasus Online with the possession of 139 936 subscriptions. The rest 24 companies provide only 82 392 subscribers with wired internet.

In order to display more comprehensive picture of internet service providers, it is worth showing the amount of subscriptions according to regions. In case of Tbilisi, the given data provided by GNCC shows that up to twenty companies are functioning in the capital. Out of them two providers – Caucasus and Silknet – provide 41% and 40%, respectively, of the subscribers with internet. The shares of the rest companies are as follows: Akhteli (15 thousand subscriptions) and Akhali Kselebi (up to 13 thousand subscriptions). Interestingly, other 15 companies provide only 1% of wired internet subscribers in Tbilisi.

According to the amount of wired internet subscriptions Imereti region can be distinguished/ from the capital of the country. Major internet providers in these regions are Sikneti (51%) and Akhali Kselebi (47%). With regard to the scope of wired internet subscriptions, Kvemo Kartli, where Central Georgian Communications Co. is a main provider for 67% of subscribers, holds the third position. In comparison to this, figures of Silknet and Caucasus Online seem modest: 19% (6 538 subscriptions) and 11% (3 668 subscriptions), respectively.