Population: 1.3 million
Internet Users/Penetration 2006: 690 thousand / 52 percent
Internet Users/Penetration 2008: 852 thousand / 64 percent
Mobile Phone Users/Penetration 2006: 1.7 million
Mobile Phone Users/Penetration 2008: 1.9 million
Freedom of the Press (2008) Score/Status: 16 / Free
Digital Opportunity Index (2006) Ranking: 24 out of 181
GNI Per Capita (PPP): $19,800
Web 2.0 Applications Blocked: No
Political Content Systematically Filtered: No
Bloggers/Online Journalists Arrested: No

Estonia ranks among the most wired and technologically advanced countries in the world. The first internet connections in the country were introduced in 1992 in Tallinn and Tartu academic facilities. According to Estonia's president, the country's status as an "e-country" is due in large part to the disastrous condition of the country's infrastructure in 1991 following nearly 50 years of Soviet control. In an effort to integrate Estonia into the global economy, the government initiated a program entitled Tiger Leap that aimed to computerize and connect all Estonian schools with the internet by 2000. This program helped to build competence and awareness about information and communication technologies (ICTs). Today, with such a high level of computer literacy and connectivity, focus has shifted from basic concerns such as access, quality, and cost of internet services to discussions about security, anonymity, the protection of private information, and citizens' rights on the internet. These issues are closely tied to the most serious threat to internet freedom in Estonia, namely, the cyber attacks against various Estonian communication infrastructures in late April and early May 2007.

Labels: internet, statistics