Juhan Parts
Minister of Economic Affairs and
Communications
Preface
Looking at the developments of information and communications technology (ICT), it seems as if the Earth is rotating around its axis at an ever-increasing speed. That is why keeping up with the pace is becoming a challenge. Flexibility is a great advantage for Estonia as a small country; we are able to employ new possibilities quickly and be innovative in their development.
Extensive use of ICT in all areas of life is just about our only option, but it requires a lot more resources for data communications networking. The number of network devices and the resources needed for their functioning have grown explosively. Today’s economy needs a new infrastructure supporting the economy.
Looking into the future, with a view of securing devel-opment opportunities for Estonia, we have launched an ambitious project called EstWIN. Its goal is to provide access to 100 Mbit/s high-speed Internet all over Estonia. In order to build the network, the all-time biggest joint project between the public and private sector has been initiated in the field. It is the state’s duty, also in the future information society, to ensure equal opportunity to all people, including entrepreneurs, regardless of where in Estonia they are located.
Alongside thr development of the communications network, we must also work on the quality of services. It is in the interests of the state as well as of all people to create good services that promote education and research, provide entertainment, promote tourism, and develop real estate, in a more deliberate way. The keyword here is making public data more accessible and machine-processable, which is one of the preconditions for creating good e-services.
Designing the e-governance, we want people to feel safe and be aware of opportunities and risks appearing already today as well as in the future. In that respect, the Estonian e-governance has a good reputation worldwide. To a large extent, that can be regarded as credit given and marketing done in advance. Our enterprises still need to fill that with actual substance on the world market. The state can be of support and assistance here, but much depends on the ambition and the bold initiative of our IT enterprises.
We do our best to create the preconditions and opportunities of the ICT field of today’s world at a national level. We need to remember that all parties have to use their advantages and keep up with the pace.
