Powering Digital Inclusion in Georgia’s Mountainous Racha: First Steps

Highlights

• The Log-in Georgia Project is addressing gaps in the national broadband network by connecting remote, mountainous regions like Racha to high-speed internet — an important first step towards scaling up digitalization efforts nationwide.
• Over 90,000 people and 104 schools have been connected so far, and with additional financing provided by the World Bank, the project will further expand digital connectivity to around 325,000 people across 700 mountainous villages in Georgia.
• Access to faster, more reliable internet and complementary digital skills training is opening new economic and job opportunities for villagers as well as for local entrepreneurs.

In 2025, most people around the world could not imagine life without access to the internet. But in mountainous regions of Georgia like Racha, many residents were still struggling to get online. Until recently, internet service providers (ISPs) and mobile operators in the area relied on low quality and capacity radio-based technologies to access main broadband networks. As a result, service was slow, unreliable, or entirely nonexistent, on both mobile and home internet connections.

The absence of reliable digital access has contributed to an exodus, especially of young people from remote regions seeking better opportunities, services, and jobs. Their departure has only deepened Georgia’s rural-urban divide and drained the economic potential of mountainous places like Racha.

Log-in Georgia: Creating Opportunity

Leaving No One Behind

The retiree Ketevan Sharabidze-Agladze, the first person to open a guesthouse in Sadmeli village in Racha, will soon become one Log-in Georgia’s new beneficiaries. Access to high-quality internet would be a boon for her business: “I rely on platforms like Telegram, Instagram, and Facebook, so if there’s no internet, my work comes to a halt. When I saw workers laying cables underground, I asked what was going on. They told me we were going to have better internet. It’s great for me and my business. With high quality internet, I can smoothly share my Reels, short videos, and can tell my stories to a wider audience”.

Not only does Log-In Georgia connect remote villages to fiber-optic broadband infrastructure, it also is improving digital literacy in connected communities. Through the project’s Digital Adoption Program (DAP), the Communications Commission conducts digital skills trainings for people from different walks of life. Special attention is given to women-headed households, ethnic and social minorities, the elderly, persons with disabilities, teachers, students, and local entrepreneurs—ensuring everyone benefits from improved digital access.

“Young people—or digital natives—adapt to modern technologies more easily. But adults, like teachers for instance, often need a bit more explanation. I try to provide all the necessary information in a language they understand, avoiding technical terms like “domains” and “browsers” that sound overwhelming,” explained Mindia Salukvadze, a trainer through DAP. He helps participants understand both the opportunities and risks of being online, especially how to avoid scams and misinformation. “I teach them how to think critically in the digital world, encouraging them to approach everything they encounter online with ten times the caution they would in real life.”