Estonia: The Most Advanced Digital Nation Helping The Gulf Turn Ambition Into Action

As the Gulf accelerates its digital journey, few nations understand the mechanics of turning vision into tangible outcomes better than Estonia. Long recognized as one of the world’s most advanced digital societies, Estonia arrives at GITEX 2025 not to showcase, but to contribute as a trusted partner already embedded in the region’s innovation landscape.

For Estonia, digitalization has never been a project; it is the operating system of society. Two decades ago, the European nation decided that efficiency, transparency, and trust should form the backbone of governance. Every citizen received a secure digital identity; every service was moved online; and data began to flow seamlessly across institutions through interoperable platforms such as X-Road. The result: a fully digital nation with 100 percent of public services online, and one of Europe’s most competitive startup ecosystems.

That experience resonates deeply in the UAE and the wider GCC, where governments are leading systemic transformation—from paperless services to sovereign cloud systems, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled governance, and secure data economies. The rapid societal and economic leaps made by the Gulf nations, underscored by national agendas such as We the UAE 2031 and Vision 2030, mirror Estonia’s own journey. This shared vision explains why Estonia’s presence continues to expand in the region despite differences in scale and geography.

“The UAE has set bold targets for entrepreneurship that are backed by a record of turning vision into action,” says HE Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Estonia’s Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, who leads the national delegation to GITEX 2025. “Estonia’s journey shows that success doesn’t come from technology alone but from trust, policy, and efficiency. These are lessons that can be adapted anywhere, and we see GITEX as a platform for open dialogue on how to make transformation work in practice.”

HE Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Estonia’s Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs.

Building The Foundations Of Trust

At the Estonia Pavilion, seven pioneering companies demonstrate how a digital nation’s know-how can underpin the Gulf’s next stage of growth:

• Nortal, the architect behind much of Estonia’s e-government backbone, and leading major digital projects across the Gulf since 2017, to help public institutions move from service delivery to citizen-centric design.
• CybExer Technologies, a recognized NATO partner, builds national-level cyberdefense training platforms. As AI begins to reshape both defense and offence, CybExer enables organizations to simulate future threats and strengthen resilience.
• FoxSec brings smart-building and IoT-security systems that protect critical infrastructure—a rising priority as cities become fully connected.
• SelectZero applies artificial intelligence to streamline operations in both government and enterprise, showing how automation can enhance efficiency without eroding transparency.
• Bamboo Group delivers secure communications and connectedmobility solutions that advance smartcity agendas and strengthen publicservice delivery.
• Omnicomm supplies telemetry and fleet-management tools that help logistics operators improve performance and sustainability—key enablers of the region’s diversification drive.
• Dexatel ensures that sensitive data remains secure through encrypted communication platforms for both business and government users.

Each of these companies reflects Estonia’s practical, secure, and people-focused digital evolution. While some Estonian companies have deep roots in the region, others have entered the market recently, drawn by the Gulf’s accelerating investment in digital infrastructure, from e-governance to defense technologies.

“Across the Gulf, we are seeing a clear shift,” notes Jaakko Jalkanen, VP of Marketing at CybExer, a company experiencing growing interest from the region in their cyber defense solution. “Governments are preparing for the age of offensive AI, developing cyber ranges that let teams test, train, and adapt in realistic environments. It’s about turning awareness into capability.”

Together, these firms illustrate how Estonia’s digital ethos—interoperability, security, and user trust—translates across borders. Each solution addresses a core regional priority: efficient government, resilient infrastructure, smart mobility, and data sovereignty.

A Shared Ambition For Smarter Societies

Estonia’s relationship with the region runs deeper than trade. Estonian companies already collaborate with government entities and critical-infrastructure operators in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman. The goal now is to move from pilots to co-development, building sovereign AI tools, secure data platforms, and sustainable mobility systems together.

“GITEX is where policy, entrepreneurship, and technology converge,” adds Minister Pakosta. “Our presence reflects a belief that transformation succeeds when partners share both expertise and responsibility. Estonia may be small in size, but we have learned how to make digitalization work at a national scale—lessons that can support the Gulf region as it designs its next decade of growth.”

At GITEX 2025, Estonia’s message is that only countries who build trust through digitalization can be truly competitive in the future.

Meet Estonia at GITEX 2025 – Hall 1, Stand H1-C50. Learn more by clicking here.