Enhancing the speed and capability of mobile communications is now a top priority for businesses and governments across Europe, Asia and beyond. It is therefore particularly exciting that Silknet yesterday announced a new partnership with Ericsson to launch the country’s first ever Gigabit LTE service. Once it was texts and calls but now, its data is where the real demand is from customers. Mobile phone use habits have fundamentally shifted, with Internet-based apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Netflix and Youtube dominating user habits. These data-hungry and streaming-focused apps, therefore, drive both the present and future of the Telecoms industry.
As with the rest of the world, when mobile operators rapidly emerged onto the scene, their role immediately became immense and highly visible. The difficulty has been to differentiate a service that is widely seen as remarkably similar, if not the same. As a result, when Silknet purchased Geocell last year, we understood that the quality of connectivity and reliable data is what customers ultimately desire. When SRG first purchased Silknet, we began by offering voice and text services, but starting in 2010 we’ve gone on to provide a ‘quad offer’ of voice, TV, internet and mobile through a growing fixed line and fiber optic network. Now, with these services being rolled out on the Gigabit LTE, users will experience faster speeds than ever before.
Silknet finds itself ahead of the curve with yesterday’s announcement, offering greater speeds to Georgian customers than ever before. This new network, which will initially be rolled out in Tbilisi’s busiest areas in the centre of town, will see customers enjoy faster than ever access to their favourite apps, programs and messaging services. It is through initiatives like this, which enhance Georgia’s ability to attract foreign business investment and improve the nation’s commercial potential.
This will also prove a major steppingstone in the continued advancement of the country’s telecoms infrastructure. Of all the nations across the globe, Georgia finds itself with one of the highest speed networks, a major attraction for growing foreign direct investment. To be part of a company that is at the forefront of enabling this major change in Georgia’s telecoms network and wider business profile is incredibly exciting.
By David Borger