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In the late 1990s, Estonia prioritized connecting all schools online, and by 2001, infrastructure for e-Estonia was underway. Ilves, who was then a diplomat and foreign minister, saw the internet as an equalizer—an opportunity for Estonia, then a very poor nation, to modernize and catch up with developed countries.
The Digital Evolution and Mass Adoption
By the early 2000s, the public increasingly adopted digital services, driven by user-friendly interfaces and trust in the system. Today, Estonia is proof that advanced online governance can be scaled up, even in larger countries—server capacity notwithstanding. The key rests in willingness and risk acceptance.