Brave New Estonia
Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia has transformed itself into a tech-friendly society in which more than half the population is online and mobile phones are used for everything from banking to paying for parking and soon even for voting.
Old World
Medieval walls surround the quaint cobblestone streets, restaurants, churches, and squares in Tallinn’s postcard-perfect Old Town, a reminder of Estonia’s roots.
Meet and Greet
Estonian prime minister Andrus Ansip (center) holds a cabinet meeting in Tallinn, the country’s capital. For about seven years, the Estonian government has met weekly in front of computers; e-cabinet meetings, as they are sometimes called, have significantly increased the efficiency of the government.
Electronic Agenda
In e-cabinet meetings, relevant information is available on computer screens, and ministers vote on proposals digitally. In a nod to more traditional times, Prime Minister Ansip strikes his gavel to indicate that a proposal has passed.
Virtual Votes
Rait Rall works for Cybernetica, a company that works in information security, cryptography, software systems, and navigation systems. The company also developed Estonia’s online-voting system. The system was used in the March 2007 parliamentary elections, in which approximately 30,000 Estonians voted over the internet.
Identity Quest
Rall’s government ID card slides into his laptop. An Estonian ID card can be used to file taxes, bank, and vote in national elections via computer.
Institutional Knowledge
Andrei Errapart works for GlasStress, an offshoot of the Institute of Cybernetics at Tallinn University of Technology. Many credit the institute with driving Estonia’s move into innovative, computer-based technology in recent years.
Online Education
Ave Lauringson is a project manager at the Tiger Leap Foundation, which promotes the use of computers and the teaching of information technology in Estonian schools. Funded by the government, the program was designed to advance technology after the fall of the U.S.S.R. and now supports the development of online learning environments for students. Today, 99 percent of Estonian schools have internet access.
Wireless World
WiFi hotspots are available in many public places in Tallinn, including gas stations, shopping centers, restaurants, and public parks.
A Moment of Multitasking
Georg Leonov, a project manager for a construction company, works on his computer while taking his B.M.W. through an automated car wash. The gas station had a WiFi hotspot, but the connection was lost inside the car wash.
You’ve Got Mail
Students Riho Paur (left) and Hendrik Parn, both 17, take advantage of a free WiFi hotspot at the Viru Center, a modern shopping mall in downtown Tallinn. Both said they spend approximately two hours a day online, mostly for entertainment and keeping in touch with friends.
Chatroom
Two Estonian women meet at a streetside café with a computer in central Tallinn.
Sky-High Growth
According to the Ministry of Finance, the Estonian economy grew 11.4 percent in 2006. Along with that growth have come the development of new buildings and a lively real estate market.
Dump Day
A computer monitor in Tallinn’s Old Town left out to be taken to the garbage dump.
