Internet in Estonia
Encyclopedia
Estonia
has one of the highest Internet
penetration rates in the world. Computerization and digital connection for people are encouraged and supported by the state. The country has digital ID card system, and in 2005 local elections were held with the official possibility to vote online — the first case of its kind in the world.
In the first quarter of 2010, 75% out of 1.34 million people in the country used internet according to Statistics Estonia
.
Mass usage of computing networks first came with FidoNet
, the first Estonian node of which appeared in 1989. In the early 1990s Internet connections began to appear, and the national domain (.ee
) was registered in the middle of 1992. By virtue of its geographical location, the country played important role in transporting Internet culture to neighbouring Russia
. One of the first backbone links for Russia was built in 1991 by Relcom
through Estonia to Finland
.
In the year 1965 the first in the USSR school computer Ural-1
was set up in the town of Nõo
. In 1996 Estonian president Lennart Meri
started the four-year state program "Tiigrihüpe
" to computerize and internetize all of the country's schools (Russia accomplished the alike task in the fall of 2007). In the summer of 2005, Tallinn
court sentenced a 22-year citizen to pay 3000 krooni
(€190) for the insult in an Internet forum
.
The country's most popular search engine is the local Neti.ee.
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
has one of the highest Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
penetration rates in the world. Computerization and digital connection for people are encouraged and supported by the state. The country has digital ID card system, and in 2005 local elections were held with the official possibility to vote online — the first case of its kind in the world.
In the first quarter of 2010, 75% out of 1.34 million people in the country used internet according to Statistics Estonia
Statistics Estonia
Statistics Estonia is the Estonian government agency responsible for producing official statistics regarding Estonia. It is subordinated the Ministry of the Finance.The agency has approximately 400 employees. The office of the agency is located in Tallinn....
.
Mass usage of computing networks first came with FidoNet
FidoNet
FidoNet is a worldwide computer network that is used for communication between bulletin board systems. It was most popular in the early to mid 1990s, prior to the introduction of easy and affordable access to the Internet...
, the first Estonian node of which appeared in 1989. In the early 1990s Internet connections began to appear, and the national domain (.ee
.ee
.ee is the Internet country code top-level domain of Estonia, operated by Estonian Internet Foundation.-Second-Level Domain Names:* .com.ee -- companies as defined in the Commercial Code* .pri.ee -- individuals...
) was registered in the middle of 1992. By virtue of its geographical location, the country played important role in transporting Internet culture to neighbouring Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. One of the first backbone links for Russia was built in 1991 by Relcom
RELCOM
RELCOM or Relcom , an acronym for "RELiable COMmunications" is a computer network in Russia. It was launched in the Soviet Union on August 1, 1990 in the Kurchatov Institute in collaboration with DEMOS co-operative RELCOM or Relcom , an acronym for "RELiable COMmunications" is a computer network in...
through Estonia to Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
In the year 1965 the first in the USSR school computer Ural-1
Ural (computer)
Ural is a computer series built in Soviet Union.- History :The Ural was developed at the Electronic Computer Producing Manufacturer of Penza in the Soviet Union and was produced between 1959 and 1964. In total 139 were made...
was set up in the town of Nõo
Nõo
Nõo is a small borough in Tartu County, Estonia. It is the administrative centre of Nõo Parish.-External links:*...
. In 1996 Estonian president Lennart Meri
Lennart Meri
Lennart Georg Meri was a writer, film director and statesman who served as the second President of Estonia from 1992 to 2001. Meri was a leader of the Estonian independence movement.-Early life:...
started the four-year state program "Tiigrihüpe
Tiigrihüpe
Tiigrihüpe was a project undertaken by Republic of Estonia to heavily invest in development and expansion of computer and network infrastructure in Estonia, with a particular emphasis on education...
" to computerize and internetize all of the country's schools (Russia accomplished the alike task in the fall of 2007). In the summer of 2005, Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
court sentenced a 22-year citizen to pay 3000 krooni
Estonian kroon
In 1992, coins were introduced in denominations of 5, 10, 20 & 50 senti, as well as 1 kroon. The 1 kroon was struck in cupronickel, the others in aluminum-bronze. However, in 1997, nickel-plated steel 20 senti were introduced, followed by aluminum-bronze 1 kroon in 1998. 5 senti coins were not...
(€190) for the insult in an Internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
.
The country's most popular search engine is the local Neti.ee.
Further reading
- Farivar, Cyrus. 2011. The Internet of Elsewhere: the Emergent Effects of a Wired World. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press. p. 109-149. Covers the history of the Internet and public WiFi access in Estonia.