Noha Adly, the First Deputy to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology signed on Monday a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Taavi Kotka, the Estonian Deputy Secretary General at the information and communications technology (ICT) department at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications. The Egyptian ministry will collaborate with the Estonian government in several fields such as e-governance infrastructure, the implementation of e-government services and cyber security. Atef Helmy, the Communication and Information Technology Minister, received the Estonian delegation, which was headed by Kotka. During the meeting, Helmy stated that the current objectives of the MCIT were to "spread e-government services and to improve their quality to better serve citizens." Helmy also discussed how ICT can assist in advancing societies. The minister referred to the Estonian experience with the formation of the digital society E-Estonia, describing it as "a unique experience as the country is an advanced digital society, and its success story is the fruit of a close collaboration between the government, the Estonian ICT sector and the public who use technology frequently." According to the Estonian Information System's Authority, the use of information technology became "an instrument for increasing administrative capacity and ensuring an innovative and convenient living environment for citizens". As of September 2013, 78.4% of Estonian population, ranging between the ages of 16 and 74, use the internet, and 75% of households have internet access.
