MagtiCom explained

MagtiСom, Ltd.
Type:Joint venture
Industry:Telecommunications
Founder:Dr. George (Gia) Jokhtaberidze
Location City:Tbilisi
Area Served:99% of the populated territory of Georgia
Location Country:Georgia
Homepage:MagtiCom official website

MagtiCom, Ltd. (Georgian: მაგთიკომი) is a Georgian telecoms company founded on February 12, 1996 by Dr. George (Gia) Jokhtaberidze. On September 22, 1997, the Company made the first commercial call from its mobile network. The services offered by MagtiCom involve as follows: mobile telephony; mobile internet (embracing different technologies of mobile network development, such as: 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, 4.5G); Cable fixed telephony (VoIP); internet television (IPTV) and fiber-optic internet. Since 2016 MagtiCom started to provide IPTV, VoIP and fiber-optic internet.

Currently, the MagtiCom mobile network provides: GSM (2G and 2.5G), UMTS (3G and 3.5G HSPA+), and LTE (4G, 4.5G LTE-Advanced). These technologies are implemented on 800, 900, 1800 and 2100MHz frequency bands.

The coverage area of "MagtiCom" network is 99% of the populated controlled territory of Georgia (with 10 510 base stations). The Company leads the mobile market (with the 41.4% of market share; June 2024). MagtiCom provides various services to nearly 3 million customers by means of 50 customer care offices and 88 Outlets in Public Service halls. MagtiCom contributes 2.645.267.892 lari to the development of Georgian economy as of July 2024.[1] Since 2016, MagtiCom has been an ISP and, as a result, a provider of a total range of communications services.[2]

Since November 2017, Magticom has been the market leader ISP operator in Georgia.[3]

Owners

MagtiCom Ltd was founded on February 12, 1996 by Dr. George (Gia) Jokhtaberidze, who owns 75% of the Company and exercises the full control thereover. See Chart 1 to learn about the owners and the ownership shares thereof.

History

Milestones

Mobile Telephony

MagtiCom made the first commercial call on September 22, 1997. Currently, the mobile network of MagtiCom provides the mobile technologies of the following generations: GSM (2G and 2.5G), UMTS (3G and 3.5G HSPA+), LTE (4G, 4.5G LTE-Advanced). These technologies are implemented on 800, 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz frequency bands.

According to the Georgian National Communications Commission statistics, as of June 2024, MagtiCom has 2,314,390 subscribers.[5] making it the most popular provider in Georgia.

Internet

MagtiCom offers 2 types of internet service: mobile internet since 2001 and fiber-optic internet for the consumer market since 2016.

Mobile Internet

MagtiCom started to provide WAP-based Internet in 2001, then in 2002 the Company began to offer GPRS-based internet followed by the HSDPA, HSPA and HSPA+ technologies. Since 2015, MagtiCom has been offering 4G LTE internet, while since May 2016 – LTE Advanced network.

According to the data of the Georgian National Communications Commission, MagtiCom has the highest amount of internet usage.[6]

Fiber-Optic Internet

According to the official data, MagtiCom is the leading ISP operator, with 520,049 internet subscribers as of June 2024.

Television

MagtiCom has offered IPTV since 2016.

According to the official data, MagtiCom has the leading position in the television (broadcast transit) market in Georgian. MagtiCom has 351,053 subscribers in June 2024.

IPTV

IPTV is a new generation TV standard based on Internet Protocol (IP) offering such functions as the air management, rewinding and pausing. IPTV allows for rewinding, and to stop it and to proceed with watching it from the place where it had been stopped.

TV Channels of the Company's Own Production

In December 2013, MagtiCom started to offer 3 movie channels of its own production dubbed in Georgia: Magti Hit, Magti Kino and Chveni Magti. Since 2016 the channels have been available for the customers of Magti IPTV.

Fixed Telephony

Cable Fixed Telephony (VoIP)

VoIP technology offers cable fixed telephone communication via IP. Unlike traditional telephony, the voice signal is transferred digitally. MagtiCom started to offer cable fixed telephony to the retail market in 2016.

MagtiCom Technological History

The development of internet technologies in MagtiCom in chronological order:

Coverage of Mobile and Internet Networks

As of 2024, MagtiCom covers the 99% of the inhabited and controlled territory of Georgia.

Base Stations

The company owns 10,510 2G, 3G, and 4G base stations in Georgia.

Customer Care

MagtiCom offers customer service in person and by phone.

MagtiCom has 50 offices (13 in Tbilisi and 37 in the rest of Georgia) providing services on weekdays, while some offices provide services on the weekends as well.

MagtiCom customer care offices are available at 88 outlets in Public Service halls in Georgia.[7]

MagtiCom offers a 24-hour hotline service 7 days a week. Calling the service is toll-free for MagtiCom customers.

Web-chat is also available to provide customers with online help/information.

Roaming

MagtiCom offers roaming service in 191 countries and with 441 operators.[8]

“We do it for Georgia" is the motto under which MagtiCom has implemented projects in areas such as Georgian culture, sport, health, arts and education. A noteworthy project is the publication of books/albums of the works by Georgian cultural figures. The books/albums were distributed free of charge on the presentation day. The works – books, sets of volumes and albums – by dozens of writers, poets, artists, sculptors or architects are kept at the MagtiCom archive.

"Constant" the Magazine

“Constant", the quarterly magazine from MagtiCom, started to be issued in 1999. The magazine offers MagtiCom news as well as the world examples of technological progress and other interesting information.

The full e-version of "Constant" is available on the MagtiCom web-site. The circulation of the printed version makes 25,000 copies. The magazine is free-of-charge.[9]

“Constant" is distributed both in Tbilisi and the regions of Georgia.

MyMagti

Since 2014, MagtiCom has provided the mobile application MyMagti so that customers can perform various tasks electronically.

Notes and References

  1. https://www.magticom.ge/en/about-company About MagtiCom
  2. https://www.magticom.ge/en/about-company MagtiCom ISP
  3. https://analytics.gncc.ge/ka/statistics/?c=internet&sid=543176 GNCC Analytics
  4. https://www.magticom.ge/en/about-company Milestones
  5. https://analytics.gncc.ge/ka/statistics/?c=mobiles&sid=227132 Georgian national communications commission
  6. https://analytics.gncc.ge/en/statistics/?c=mobiles&sid=227144&f=mobinttraffic&exp=traffic GNCC-Mobile internet traffic
  7. https://www.magticom.ge/en/useful-info/offices Customer Offices
  8. https://www.magticom.ge/en/private/mobile/mobile-services/roaming Roaming
  9. https://www.magticom.ge/website/magazines/ “Constant” the Magazine