--- title: "Cell Tower Permits" url: "https://legal.ge/en/service/licensing-and-regulatory-permits-en/cell-tower-permits-en" field: "Licensing & Regulatory Permits" description: "Radio frequency spectrum usage license: term, transfer, modification, cancellation and frequency assignment. Legal.ge." reviewed: "2026-07-09" updated: "2026-11-07" publisher: "legal.ge" --- # Cell Tower Permits > Source: legal.ge, https://legal.ge/en/service/licensing-and-regulatory-permits-en/cell-tower-permits-en The license to use the radio frequency spectrum in Georgia passes through a full life cycle: beginning with issuance, continuing through transfer of the right, modification, and cancellation, and ending with the special rules for assigning frequencies. If you plan to operate spectrum or already hold a license, this page sets out the legal conditions of every stage of that cycle — from terms to the circumstances in which a license is cancelled. ## Issuance and term of validity The license is issued by the commission by auction or competition, in accordance with the relevant laws and the auction regulation approved by the commission's decree. The license is issued for a term of ten years. The holder may apply to the commission for extension one month before expiry — and if the use of the spectrum is carried out in accordance with the rules established by law, the term is extended by commission decision for a further ten years. Upon expiry of the term, the license is deemed cancelled. The license also carries a duty of use: the holder must use the scarce resource defined by the license in accordance with legislation and the conditions set by the commission's issuance decision, and ensure its optimal and effective use — including through the introduction of innovative electronic communication technologies. Unused spectrum is thus in the risk zone. ## Transfer of the right to another person The license holder may transfer the right to use the spectrum to any person, fully or partially, by way of direct assignment — without holding an auction. The parties conclude an assignment agreement, and the commission opens a public administrative proceeding on the basis of a joint application. The new holder may begin using the spectrum only after the assignment decision and after passing authorization in the manner defined by law. Assignment may be restricted: where the acquiring person owes arrears of the regulation fee to the commission or of the resource usage fee to the state budget; where the person would become holder of more than the maximum quantity of radio frequency resource determined by the commission on the basis of study and analysis; or where the resource serves end users and the recipient does not confirm the obligation to continue providing the service under the concluded contracts. In the first and third cases the proceeding resumes after the new holder fully performs the obligations. ## Modification and cancellation The license may be modified where electronic communications legislation changes, or upon a substantiated request of the commission or the holder. The grounds for cancellation are precisely listed: the holder's request; cessation of use of the spectrum and of practical activity for more than three consecutive months or for six months within one year; failure to begin practical activity within the term set in the license; and violation of license conditions — continuation of an ongoing violation after a fine, or a new one-time violation within one year of the fine. Only the commission may cancel, and upon cancellation the paid fee is not returned. The law distinguishes several regimes. For the amateur service, bands are allocated under the international radio regulations and the commission assigns call signs to radio amateurs; it assigns call signs and identification marks to sea vessels, while the international distress signal of a vessel in distress requires no assignment. An unauthorized person who needs frequencies for auxiliary technological use receives them from the commission under a simplified administrative procedure, temporarily — for a term of one year, against payment of a fee. An authorized person, for auxiliary technological, non-commercial purposes, may be assigned a frequency or segments of a radio relay network or line without auction — upon application, for a term not exceeding fifteen years. Knowing these different routes lets you choose the mechanism that answers your technical task. The full text is available on legal.ge after signing in: https://legal.ge/en/service/licensing-and-regulatory-permits-en/cell-tower-permits-en ### For what term is the spectrum usage license issued? For ten years. Extension may be requested one month before expiry, and where the rules are observed the term is extended by a further ten years. ### Can the license be transferred to another person? Yes — by direct assignment, without auction, fully or partially. The commission opens a public administrative proceeding on a joint application; assignment may be restricted for arrears, dominance thresholds, or service continuity. ### When is the license cancelled? On the holder's request; on cessation of use for more than three consecutive months or six months within one year; on failure to begin practical activity in the set term; and on continuation of a violation after a fine or a new one-time violation within one year. The paid fee is not returned. ### How is a frequency assigned for auxiliary technological purposes? For an unauthorized person — by simplified administrative procedure, temporarily, for one year, against a fee; for an authorized person — non-commercially, without auction, for a term not exceeding fifteen years. ### What limits apply to the fee payment schedule? The schedule must not require payment of more than fifty percent of the modified license fee within one year.