Estonia delays making emergency number 112 accessible to everyone

Estonia has postponed its deadline for making emergency number 112 equally accessible to all users until June 2027 because the necessary solutions were not completed, ERR reports. The service currently accepts voice calls and SMS messages, but does not yet offer the same access to everyone.

Alternative communication methods, such as video calls, may be needed by deaf and hard-of-hearing people, people with speech impairments, stroke survivors and those unable to speak in dangerous situations.

Mari Tuulik, an accessibility advocacy adviser at the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People, said SMS messaging would not solve the problem for everyone. People with speech impairments may also have difficulty writing or reading, while Estonian may function almost like a foreign language for people who communicate in Estonian Sign Language, which has its own grammar and vocabulary.

“In a time-critical situation, the most accessible option for deaf people would be for at least some emergency centre employees to have a working knowledge of Estonian Sign Language,” Tuulik said.

Accessibility requirements for emergency communications took effect on June 28, 2025, under the Products and Services Accessibility Act. Because the service does not meet the requirements, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications plans to use an exception allowed by the European Union and set a new deadline of June 28, 2027.

Accessibility expert Jakob Rosin said the necessary solutions had been started too late. He noted that the law requiring accessibility improvements had entered into force in Estonia in 2022, leaving at least three years to prepare for the 2025 deadline.

The Emergency Response Centre is currently testing new technical options, including real-time text transmission. Unlike SMS, this would allow an emergency dispatcher to see the caller’s text as it is being typed.

A final solution for video communication has not yet been decided because the options offered by phone manufacturers do not meet all users’ needs. Sirli Seegar, a social affairs expert at the Emergency Response Centre, said the long-term goal was to combine different communication methods in a single 112 call.

“The longer-term aim is to offer a complete conversation on 112 calls. This means that during one call, the caller and the emergency centre employee could speak, write in real time and show video at the same time,” Seegar said.

She said real-time text transmission should be completed by June 2027, while a video-call solution is also being sought. Until then, SMS messages to 112 will remain the main option for people who cannot speak, although exchanging additional questions may take longer than in a voice call.