Adventures forward, not back in time - Technology in Estonia
Digital Nomad
The world of work has certainly changed since the Covid-19 pandemic brought ordinary life to a standstill across the globe back in 2020. Suddenly, going to a workplace was not an option and working from different locations was an essential capability. As an organisation born in response to the pandemic, The ability to conduct work remotely has been at the heart of the Scottish Tech Army's (STA) operations since its inception.
This has carried through to the present day and has allowed me, as an employee of the STA, to take the leap to become a ‘Digital Nomad’ - a term increasingly more commonplace in the occupational world.
I was delighted then, when I was offered the opportunity to continue my work remotely from the Baltic country of Estonia in Eastern Europe.
Estonia, a World Leader in Tech
Estonia, like its two Baltic counterparts Latvia and Lithuania was under Soviet Occupation briefly in 1940-41 and then for 47 years between 1944-1991. It was feared that the Post-Soviet slump would continue to impact on the Estonian economy and way of life. However, as a society Estonians have made transformative changes since the early 2000s. So much so that Estonia is now a world leader in the IT and Technology industry and has become one of the most digitalised nations on the planet.
Estonia boasts a number of successful start ups and success stories; from the food delivery service ‘Bolt’, global identity verification service ‘Veriff’ and the company ‘Playtech’ which provides software for sporting and gaming companies.
Modern day communication heritage may also be argued to originate from Estonia. Although founded by a Swede and a Dane, the Video Calling Application ‘Skype’ was created using software written by three Estonians, “Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, Jaan Tallinn” (Estonian World, 2013).
Despite its relatively small population and size, Estonia is being seen to forge a path for entrepreneurs and businesses striving for excellence. In 2021, Estonia led the way in Europe and ranked second in the world on the Digital Society and Economy Index. This being a measure of how successful a country is at adopting digital technologies into society and the economy (Invest Estonia, 2023). However, I did not arrive in Estonia with the intention of creating a new start up - I had plenty of work to focus on with our own Tech for Good endeavour.
First Impressions
No, first things first as a newly found ‘Digital Nomad’ I needed a secure internet connection and an Estonian phone number. Luckily if you go to any corner shop (Kiosk) you can easily purchase a prepaid Sim Card and a wide selection of wifi boosters and dongles.
Of course getting the bus between cities in the Baltics is the preferred way to travel and the company ‘Lux Express’ is really the only way to travel. These high tech modern buses are a far cry from the old school rust buckets I was expecting. The Lux bus included secure onboard wifi, charging sockets for your electronics, a tv on the back of every seat and even free tea and coffee from the machine.
Furthermore, each ticket for the bus is scanned using a QR code displayed on your smartphone. This can be bought through the website or 3rd party app allowing you to reserve seats ahead of time. Interestingly enough I was curious to see how this leap from the traditional paper ticketing system would affect the older demographic. As it turned out, even travelling through rural areas it was apparent that the majority of elderly people all had smartphones and had adapted to downloading the tickets ahead of time.
Arriving in the capital Tallinn I was intrigued to find Robots, yes actual robots driving around on the pavements navigating their way around pedestrians. I later learned they do this using GPS and computer vision technology (PA, 2023). The cute wee robots are part of the Starship companies initiative to revolutionise food delivery and it certainly felt as if I had stepped into a sci-fi movie (not one that ended like the terminator though).
Other first impressions of Estonia that struck me included electronic locker keys for the swimming baths (meaning you never have to remember that pesky coin for the locker again). There are electric scooters on every street corner and you certainly need to watch your back as they come whizzing past you - using an app you can scan the scooter, pay a small fee and off you go. There are also Virtual Reality headsets available to use in every museum (no matter how small) - giving you the chance to experience the exhibit in all its glory.
Speaking to some of the locals it was very interesting to hear about administrative/bureaucratic processes or lack of them seeing as everything is now done online.
e-Governance/ e-Residency
The ability to complete Tax returns online via the (e-tax) system came into effect in 1999. Shown to be an incredible time saver, tax returns could be completed in under 5 minutes and returned in under a fortnight. Fast forward to 2019, it was recorded that over 96% of all personal income tax declarations were completed online (e-Estonia, 2020).
As well as paying fines, updating details on an expired licence and booking appointments with your local doctor there are over 100 public services available online - as well as 300+ forms (Worksup, 2023).
This move to an E-Governance model has shown it does more than just improve efficiency and reduce human labour/time. When compared to the “formalised bureaucratic interaction” of the past this move to a “Customer provider” approach is a powerful tool for changing the mindset of a Post-Soviet country. Much of the previous generation will remember the rigid hierarchy and red tape imposed by the communist government (Kerikmäe, Troitiño, and Shumilo, 2019).
This is evident in Estonia's appeal for entrepreneurs and Tech Business globally. One interesting and revolutionary way this has been facilitated is through the introduction of E-residency in 2014. This is a government issued digital identity which can be acquired by potential entrepreneurs allowing them to start a business in Estonia from anywhere in the world (e-Residency, 2023).
It has been a fascinating country to explore and one that has shown itself to be a true trailblazer in regards to integrating technology, society and the economy. The question will be, what can we learn from our Baltic neighbours and how can we, like them - look forward to the future not back?
Author: Joe Cross, Volunteer Experience Officer
References
Estonian World, Silver Tambur, (2013), Skype and the Estonian start-up ecosystem
Invest Estonia, 2023, Emerging Europe: Estonia retains the lead in IT competitiveness
Worksup, 2023, 10 amazing savvy-technology facts about Estonia
Written by: Joe Cross
