Electronic communications services in Estonia

A company that provides publicly available internet access, telephone or VoIP services with numbers, or other electronic communications services in Estonia files a notice of economic activities before it starts¹⁶¹⁷. A frequency authorisation or a numbering authorisation is needed in addition where the service uses radio frequencies or numbers that require one¹⁹.

Information as of 11 November 2026. Every numbered statement of this page was checked in the official text named below and re-checked by a second reviewer on 2026-11-11. The page is general information, not legal advice; the authority decides on every application.

What the activity is

The Electronic Communications Act (elektroonilise side seadus, ESS) defines an electronic communications service as a service provided under agreed terms over an electronic communications network: an internet access service, an interpersonal communications service, or another service consisting wholly or mainly in the conveyance of signals, but not a media service¹. The act regulates publicly available services: those offered on general terms to everyone². A provider of such a service to end users or to other providers is a communications undertaking (sideettevõtja)³.

Service types defined in the act:

internet access service: access to the internet regardless of the network technology or terminal equipment used⁴;
number-based interpersonal communications service: a service that connects with numbers in the Estonian or an international numbering plan⁵;
number-independent interpersonal communications service: a service that does not connect with such numbers⁵;
network service: building, managing and making an electronic communications network available to other undertakings for providing services⁶;
virtual network service: a service based on a virtual connection in another undertaking's public network⁷.

Not covered: information society services within the meaning of the Information Society Services Act, unless the ESS provides otherwise⁸, and media services¹.

The legal act and the authority

Act: Elektroonilise side seadus (Electronic Communications Act), version in force from 1 November 2026. It transposes Directive (EU) 2018/1972 establishing the European Electronic Communications Code⁹.
General rules on notices: Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus (General Part of the Economic Activities Code Act, MSÜS)¹⁰.
Authority: the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority (Tarbijakaitse ja Tehnilise Järelevalve Amet, TTJA) carries out state supervision under the ESS¹¹. TTJA is also the controller of the Register of Economic Activities (majandustegevuse register, MTR)¹² and forwards each notice to the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC)¹³.
Where it shows: the notice is entered in the Register of Economic Activities¹²³⁶. Decisions granting frequency and numbering authorisations are published in TTJA's information system¹⁴.

Who must file

Anyone may start providing a communications service in accordance with § 4 of the ESS¹⁵. A notice of economic activities must be filed to provide any communications service except a number-independent interpersonal communications service¹⁶. Under the MSÜS, the notice is filed with the registrar before the activity starts¹⁷.

Exemptions named in the acts:

number-independent interpersonal communications services need no notice¹⁶;
under the MSÜS, a provider established in another contracting state that provides services in Estonia only temporarily (Article 57 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union) has no notification obligation, except for services listed in Article 17 of the Services Directive¹⁸.

Additional authorisations: if the service requires the use of radio frequencies under a frequency authorisation (sagedusluba) or numbering under a numbering authorisation (numbriluba), the undertaking must hold that authorisation¹⁹. Frequency authorisations are used where needed, among other things, to avoid harmful interference, ensure efficient use or protect national security²⁰; the minister may allow certain frequencies to be used without an authorisation, on conditions that TTJA publishes²¹. Numbers may be used by a person who provides a communications service or uses one to provide other services²².

Requirements for the applicant

Whether a minimum capital, a fit-and-proper test for the management board, a requirement on the seat or place of management, or other acts such as the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act apply is specified for the client's situation.

Duties once the provider operates (by reference only):

a provider established outside the EU that provides services in Estonia, and an Estonian provider that provides services in another member state, must designate a representative in the EU for electronic-evidence orders; where the provider or its representative is in Estonia, it notifies TTJA in writing of the representative's contact details²³;
network security and confidentiality of client data (§§ 101–102)²⁴;
data retention (ESS § 111¹), answering information requests from the authorities named in the act (§ 112) and giving surveillance and security agencies access to the network (§ 113)²⁵;
notifying TTJA of network hardware and software and obtaining TTJA's usage permit for it, as specified by government regulation (ESS § 87³)²⁶, with a compliance audit at least every three years (§ 87⁵)²⁷;
publishing information on service quality and on equal access for persons with special needs²⁸;
a provider whose service is used by at least 10,000 end users is a provider of a vital service for that service under the kriisiolukorra ja riigikaitse seadus (act on crisis situations and national defence)²⁹;
giving TTJA the information it needs to perform its tasks³⁰;
reporting changes of its general data to the registrar within five working days, and filing a notice when it ceases the activity (MSÜS)³¹.

Documents filed

The notice of economic activities contains³²:

company data: name and registry code, contact details (telephone, e-mail, postal address), the name of the field of activity and its classifier code, the start date if different from the filing date, and the signatory's name, contact details and basis of authority;
service data required by the ESS: a description of the communications service, the geographic area of the activity, and the provider's website address if it has one.

The notice is filed only through the Estonian e-gateway (Eesti teabevärav) or a notary³³.

A frequency authorisation application is filed with TTJA through its information system and contains at least the applicant's identification and contact data, the requested frequency or band, the purpose, the technical conditions, the area or place of use and the start date of use³⁴. A numbering authorisation application contains at least the applicant's identification and contact data, the planned use and area of use by country, the number of numbers (or the specific short number), and a description of how the applicant will ensure that calls can be made from numbers in the Estonian numbering plan to the numbers it reserves and uses³⁵.

State fee and processing time

Notice: the registrar enters the data from a notice in the register no later than the working day after it is filed³⁶. Whether a state fee applies to the notice is specified for the client's situation.
Frequency authorisation: TTJA grants it within six weeks of receiving the application if no international coordination is needed, or within eight months if it is; different limits apply where frequencies are granted by public competition or auction, or where international agreements set other time limits³⁸. TTJA tells the applicant of deficiencies within one week and sets a time to correct them³⁹. The state fee follows § 206 of the State Fees Act and its Annex 3 (for example, 16 euros for short-range devices for one year; 800 euros for one private mobile land broadband network)⁴⁰; it is paid within five working days after TTJA states the amount, and the decision follows receipt of the fee⁴¹. A frequency authorisation is valid for up to one year, with stated exceptions⁴².
Numbering authorisation: TTJA grants it within 10 working days of receiving a complete application, if the state fee has been paid⁴³; the fee rate is in Annex 3 of the State Fees Act⁴⁴. TTJA may ask for clarifying information and other data needed to decide⁴⁵. The authorisation is granted for one year and extended a year at a time, on an application filed at least 20 days before it expires⁴⁶; numbers must be put into effective use within six months⁴⁷.
Universal service payment: an undertaking that must file the notice and whose communications turnover exceeds 383,500 euros in a calendar year has the funding obligation⁴⁸; the rate provision in the current text (0.01–1 per cent of the previous year's communications turnover) enters into force on 1 January 2028⁴⁹.

These are the time limits the law sets for the authority, not a promise about any particular case.

What LexorCorp Global OÜ does and how to order

LexorCorp Global OÜ prepares the notice of economic activities, stating the requirements of the act from its official text, and handles the submission through the Register of Economic Activities and the written follow-up of the authority's questions. The timeline is set by agreement. LexorCorp does not give legal or tax advice and does not carry out audits, and it does not promise any authority's decision, outcome or date.

The price depends on the activity and is given on request: see Licensed activities in Estonia and use the "Request a price" link for "Electronic communications services" under "Post and communications". The reply comes by e-mail.

Sources

Elektroonilise side seadus § 2 p 6 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 2 p 68 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 2 p 5 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 2 p 8⁴ — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 2 p 34¹ and 34² — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 2 p 66 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 2 p 64 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 1 (3) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus footnote 1 (EU acts transposed) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus title; §§ 14–15 — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 133 (1), (2), (4) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus § 8 (1), (4); § 58 (1) p 1 — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 4 (4) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 13 (9); § 34 (5) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 3 (1) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 4 (1) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus § 14 (1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus § 14 (3) p 2 — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 3 (3) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 11 (1¹) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 20 (1), (2) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 29 (1) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 4¹ (1)–(3), in force 19.07.2026 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus §§ 101–102 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus §§ 111¹, 112, 113 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 87³ (4)–(7) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 87⁵ (1) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 87 (3) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 87 (4), in force 01.10.2026 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 148 (1)–(2) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus § 30 (5); § 34 (1) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 4 (2); MSÜS § 15 (1) (general data of the notice) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 4 (3) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 12 (1) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 34 (1); § 32 (11) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Majandustegevuse seadustiku üldosa seadus § 59 (2) — text in force from 01.09.2025 (RT I, 02.01.2025, 26)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 13 (1) p 1–3, (2); §§ 9¹, 19 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 13 (5) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Riigilõivuseadus § 206 (3) and (5¹) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 21.10.2026, 10)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 13 (6)–(7) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 11 (3) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 34 (4) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Riigilõivuseadus § 206 (15) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 21.10.2026, 10)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 34 (3) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 33 (4); § 35 (2) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 29 (5) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 84 (1) — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)
Elektroonilise side seadus § 83² (1); RT I, 15.12.2021, 1 - jõust. 01.01.2028 — text in force from 01.11.2026 (RT I, 11.07.2026, 86)

Official sources

The laws this article names, each linked to its official text, as read on 9 October 2026. For the Estonian acts we read the English translation in Riigi Teataja; the legally binding text is the Estonian one.

Electronic Communications Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation
Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation
State Fees Act — Riigi Teataja, English translation

Sources in the text are named without links; the official texts are linked under Official sources. To see which of our services your company needs, open the Business Navigator.

Electronic communications services in Estonia: the notice of economic activities