We are working for a Georgian cause – interview with MAGTICOM’S founder Gia Jokhtaberidze

This year marks the 25th anniversary of MagtiCom’s operations. In what ways has Magti changed people’s lives over these years? What difference do these high-tech goods make in the life of an ordinary person, even in an alpine village?

After we included Zemo (Upper) Adjara into our signal coverage area, MagtiCom distributed free phones at local post offices. Anyone was welcome to come in and use them. It’s common knowledge that the Soviet government had a special attitude toward Adjara and Samtskhe on account of their location, bordering a NATO member state. Access to Sarpi or Vale was no easy task. It took special clearance, consent from Moscow. In a way, it was a buffer zone of sorts, with movement restricted for the local populations and entry virtually impossible for outsiders from elsewhere in the Soviet Union. In a nutshell, after we installed mobile connectivity, an elderly woman called and blessed me for giving her an opportunity to communicate in Zemo (Upper) Adjara. She said, “Son, you have no idea how many people used to die here just because they couldn’t reach doctors… and how many women used to die in childbirth… how many children died before birth.” I remember being shaken to the core by her words….

Once, a friend of mine, architect Gia Abuladze, told me a story. It went something like this: “We were working on a road designin Omalo. Our helicopter landed, and we found ourselves in snow almost a meter deep. There was just one building in the area, with smoke rising from the chimney. The noise of our helicopter must have drawn the attention of a handsome, blue-eyed, tanned man, who came out dressed in a sheepskin coat and holding a red-cheeked, blue-eyed girl of 2 or 3 in his arms. After customary greetings, I asked in astonishment: ‘How do you live here in this desolate place with a little child?’ He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and told me: ‘I got Magti!’” A perfect story for a video, isn’t it? This trust is what we treasure most.

What unites the hundreds employed by your company? What is the company’s supreme value shared by all?

Professionalism, integrity, and diligence – that’s what underpins our unity. Our team’s shared goal is MagtiCom’s progress. And every employee deeply appreciates the idea that the company’s success is his or her success, too. And that’s the Western way of work and life, while most of us Georgians tend to lean toward the Eastern way of thinking. “I” is what defines a personal philosophy among us, while “we” serves the same role in the West, as evidenced by sports, among others: Most of them in the West are team sports, while individual sports dominate in the East. That’s probably why Georgia is struggling to integrate with European structures – we want to fuse our “I” into the Western “we.” The Baltic states covered this path much easier and faster.

Back to MagtiCom, our company is, above all else, a unity of knowledgeable, apt, and responsible people. It’s a team that sets a goal and delivers. Our work is based on the following principle: An idea is conceived, then discussed, agreed on, and implemented. It’s a team of people who are always ready to help. You probably remember the selflessness and heroism of MagtiCom’s staff during the Russo-Georgian War in 2008, risking life and limb to restore damaged cables in Gori, despite bullets flying in the air. At the same time, the MagtiCom team plugged a competitor into national roaming when the latter’s network went down….

The MagtiCom team is constantly standing guard over the homeland. We are consistent in protecting our subscribers from cyberattacks, even though they usually don’t get to notice it. I’m really proud to be working with this team toward a Georgian cause.

What key factors underpin MagtiCom’s leading position over the years?

Our advantage is defined by 2 key factors. Firstly, since inception, representatives of MagtiCom’s parent companies and Georgian founders have been operating on the ground in Tbilisi. To this day, top-level managerial issues are solved at MagtiCom within hours – no red-tape delays. Secondly, MagtiCom usually builds its own network, develops computer programs, and delivers communications and information technology services – all on its own. Consequently, response takes next to no time, and we also save the national currency on outsourcing.

What is the cornerstone of your business ethics? How consistent are they with your personal guiding values?

I’m not covetous in any way. Envy is alien to me. The only thing that drives me is my desire to achieve set goals. What irritates me most is treachery and ingratitude. It’s also unacceptable when you put your trust in people, but all they do is look for ways to double-cross you. You won’t be duped, and you keep trying to let them know that you’re nobody’s fool, but they won’t let it go. You forgive them, turn a blind eye, but eventually you’re forced to give them what’s coming to them…. What I appreciate most, among other things, is professional aptitude, professionalism, also profound erudition.

What are the qualities of a leader? A few words to describe yourself, please…

I think that everyone has a gift, flair for something, but natural, innate talents require development. Without learning abilities and due diligence, no goal can be achieved. I would single out 3 equally important qualities: reason, education, and consistency. As for my personal description, I would say that I pull my own weight.

Do you have a workplace ritual to start and finish your workday?

I get up at 6 in the morning, no matter how late I may go to be the night before. At 7:25 AM, I leave home. As soon as I get to work, I read my emails and write responses until 8:45 AM, and that’s when we have a 90-minute standing meeting with MagtiCom’s senior team. At this point, the Zoom format usually works for us. Next, I get back to business as usual. In a nutshell, I have my own schedule that I’m trying to follow on a daily basis. Every 2 hours, I’m updated on MagtiCom’s operations status. If need be, I make necessary decisions together with the team. By 6 PM, I’m usually spent.

Why did you choose business? And what does business mean to you personally?

Business is about creative drive, something that grants you freedom and flexibility. And I believe that businesspersons are the freest people within their abilities. Making money is certainly not the mostკრასნო

important thing in business. What matters is having a goal and feeling really good about having achieved it. Needless to say, a successful business generates incomes that underpin the businessperson’s independence and freedom to a certain degree.

What circumstances, interests, and personal qualities defined your career choice?

I wanted to become an architect. It seems closer to my heart, at least that’s the way I feel about it. I have the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts, and its adjacent buildings and setting, to show for it – I sketched their designs. As you know, a unified approach to architecture was employed in the 1970s, as evidenced by the buildings of that period. And that’s why my father dissuaded me from becoming an architect, so I opted for engineering technology. As for the communications industry, I got here through information technology, though it’s very difficult to draw a line between communications and information technology. If I could go back, I would probably lean toward architecture.

What else is still vivid, lucid from your earlier memories after all these years?

I remember drawing and coloring borders on a map in 5th grade. Georgia’s borders on my map started south of Tuapse on the Black Sea – I’m talking about Nikopsia, present-day Novomikhaylovsky, Krasnodar Krai. Then my pencil-drawn borders proceeded eastward, all the way to the Caspian Sea, to Darubandi, that is, modern-day Derbent in Dagestan. I included our neighborhood within Georgia’s borders…. I would count the population that would amount to almost 40 million. To cut it short, I assumed the role of “a conqueror” or “a restorer” in my imagination. It must have been my childhood imagination’s way of empowering Georgia. I really loved coloring maps and those childhood phantasies of mine….

And there’s also Sokhumi, my hometown, constantly on my mind. I remember the warmth, both climatic and human, and no ethnic conflicts whatsoever – that was unacceptable and out of the question! Sokhumi stood for an enormous rapport, possibly thanks more to the Abkhazians. Upbringing grounded in inborn nobility generated refined relations and – similar to the other mountain valleys throughout Georgia – put in place a kind of moral code with local hues. Sokhumi and Abkhazia are beautiful not just because of their landscapes, but also thanks to impressive examples of mutual respect. You remember Stealing the Moon, a novel by Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, don’t you? With the foregoing in mind, boys matured into Sokhumi-style aesthetes… into men! Have you read Mikhail Lakerbay’s novellas? His writing is simple, though it strongly appeals to emotion. And this very appeal must besought in the Abkhazian root Alamis, which stands for the most-holy!

The development of the telecommunications industry implies simplifying human relations. But can it also facilitate the country’s territorial integrity?

On one hand, it does make interaction easier, but it also separates people, on the other. You must have noticed people sitting at a festive table, but everyone staring into one device or another. They don’t even socialize, only communicate via their devices. I don’t know, are we planning to procreate virtually in the future?

What is your biggest achievement?

Personal life aside, MagtiCom and the collection of the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts are the biggest achievements of my life.

How was the museum’s idea conceived? After all, communications and fine arts are not exactly related…

After Georgia regained independence, people started exporting everything, including oil paintings. There was a strong possibility of paintings from one period or another vanishing from the country, and that would mark the end of the continuous history of Georgian visual arts. Our struggle to prevent that from happening inspired Manana and me to put together a collection, astep that eventually led to the creation of the Georgian Museum of Fine Arts to display our collection.

What role do telecommunications play in the modern world and Georgia?

The role of telecommunications is the same globally and in individual countries alike. The pandemic has largely changed the lifestyle of the entire world population, and now we operate remotely for the most part, a fact indicative of the tremendous role of telecommunications. This industry has one peculiar characteristic. When everything is up and running, no one notices it and is less inclined to express gratitude, but even the slightest flaw is enough to trigger dissatisfaction.

How important are telecommunications for the country’s sustainability and security?

The answer is short: An army marches on communications! The operation of any sector or direction – be it healthcare, financial transactions, or television – relies on streamlined telecommunications. Everything is based on and runs through telecommunications. You may remember Orchestra Rehearsal, a famous film by Fellini following each orchestra musician self-importantly regarding his own instrument as the most vital to group performance. I happen to be the same way… though, in this case, I don’t consider anyone to be the conductor. The world’s current state of affairs, the present stage in its development, naturally brings to the fore the telecommunications industry. What happens next, that is a mystery to me. Maybe a humanoid, or whatever that highly developed entity will be called in the future, will process data fast and turn into a tele-receiver and transmitter in one, bypassing all devices.

What is the role of a businessperson in the country’s development?

Generally, businesspersons have their own functions owed to the state in that they honestly replenish the budget. At first glance, it seems to end right there, but there is also social responsibility. Look around, there are so many successful business groups working toward agood cause! Unfortunately, we still have that Soviet mentality that makes it hard for us to understand that successful businesspersons are benefactors of the country and society, not oppressors as they were once painted by the Bolsheviks.

What does MagtiCom mean for the country’s economy?

It stands for over a billion USD invested in Georgia.

It stands for over 2,160,000,000 USD contributed to the Georgian economy.

It stands for steady incomes for the families of almost 2,000 employees.

It stands for local companies as MagtiCom’s business partners, hence the welfare of their employees and their families.

It stands for the charity efforts of MagtiCom and its founders.

When should we expect 5G to roll out? Does it largely depend on the operator or the readiness of the market, country, and society?

A 5G network is a bit too early for the Georgian market, because it focuses mostly on high-tech manufacturers, an area in whichGeorgia is not really spoiled for choice, unfortunately. As for the retail segment, global studies show that its revenues are nowhere near promising return on investment. One issue is if we want to do it. And another question is whether or not we are able to do it. However, I must also mention that we are already studying and testing 5G network elements.

Is there something that seemed fantastic, unattainable years ago but has eventually evolved into an integral part of everyday life?

Many things like the collapse of the Soviet Union, for one. I thought Paris, London, and New York existed only in books and movies, but now they appear to be as real as they come…. And our young people are educated and trained professionally in these cities. We can talk on end about technology and technological progress, so I will just say that, back in 1956, it took a Boeing to transport a 5 MB device. But look how much a 1cm2 USB flash drive can store today!

In many industries and directions, children eventually take over their parents’ businesses. Do you have colleagues among family members?

All three are in business in general. Tamuna helps us at MagtiCom as a lawyer, though she’s mostly busy running the museum. Andro, who has a business of his own, was also in charge of Caucasus Online and Delta-Comm buyouts. Irakli has his own business, but he helps us with marketing, too.

This is one of those rare occasions when you agree to be interviewed…

Yes, I’m not really into talking much. I wasn’t overly talkative even when I was a lecturer. I always left space for students to think. As for interviews, Georgian journalism almost exclusively builds on sensationalism. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, in reminiscing about his career as a journalist, said that “the importance of a ‘scoop’ at any price overrode all ethical considerations.” My seclusion from publicity and interviews must be a defense mechanism.

What else do you find undesirable?

Growing old and being helpless. Mister Otia Pachkoria has this phrase: “Sensing and anticipating one’s ownfiniteness.” That’s exactly what I do not want. I have so many ideas to bring to life….

Back to MagtiCom’s anniversary, what is your take on the company’s past, present, and future?

We have come a long way. Much has been accomplished, but many things have yet to be done. There is actually much more to be done. Constant search, development, and commitment to changing and improving – these have been our driving force all along. Time, and its passing, is irreversible, and we must keep up with the times, ideally even being ahead of our time, which equals progressing forward.

I think that a lot depends on human relations. Like I said earlier, MagtiCom is a close-knit team, like a living organism. And it cannot be otherwise because, given the specifics of our industry, we stand shoulder to shoulder 24/7. I’m glad that Manana’s and my friendly domestic relations of like-minded people have translated into our business. MagtiCom has always done everything with love – be it the museum or Neostudio. Each MagtiCom team member treats the company like his or her own family, embraces it as his or her own. The same goes for the museum and Neostudio. MagtiCom and Neostudio are not just partners – their relationship has developed into genuine friendship. And that’s very gratifying and commendable.

For more about our company’s achievements, you can visit MagtiCom’s Wikipedia page, which lists facts, albeit dry, but undeniable facts. As for our plans for the future, we will continue doing our best to keep our positions in the vanguard of technology, as the torchbearers in the Georgian market.