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Lifestyle

Estonia: Internet Pioneer

July 16, 2013

Estonia is one of Europe's largest centers of web technology innovation. The small republic has free public Wi-Fi and internet access is virtually guaranteed.

https://p.dw.com/p/1983q

Many things other Europeans have to leave home to do, Estonians can do on the internet. Since 2007, they've been able to connect their personal IDs to a computer via a USB card reader, so they can fill prescriptions, pay fines, file their tax returns and even register a company online. Since the mid-1990s, the government has been investing one percent of the national budget annually in IT development.