At the same time, Omniva's automated parcel machine coverage will be greatly expanded.

Omniva will cut the current 35 post offices to 19 as part of a network overhaul in 2026, and will also scale down the number of public letterboxes available across Estonia.

Eesti Post, which operates under the Omniva brand, said the move was aimed at "Removing the gap between infrastructure and real needs."

"We check hundreds of letterboxes three times a week even if they are empty," said Omniva CEO Martti Kuldma. "Some mail points handle only a few items a day. Nearby parcel machines handle hundreds," he added.

The redesign will see the number of Omniva parcel machines hiked by over 50 percent, from the current level of 387, to around 600, Omniva said. Omniva's machines face market competition from other service providers such as Itella and SmartPost.

The machines are often over-subscribed, Kuldma added, while having to re-route parcels to post offices can cause customer frustration. At the same time, people are no longer visiting the post office to pay their bills or magazine subscriptions, he added, while stamps can be purchased at retail stores.

This does not mean the end of post offices in Estonia, however, Kuldma stressed, noting their status as community hubs.

Omniva will also offer a courier service, free of charge, to those who do not use digital tools, though only in the case of the closure or non-existence of a post office within the vicinity.

However, unsustainable offices cannot stay open, while a network which can match modern needs will secure economic sustainability, Kuldma said.

After the reforms, there will be at least one post office in each of Estonia's 15 counties, with more in the more populous counties such as Harju, which includes Tallinn, and Tartu County.

As for letterboxes, while the current figure is 962 nationwide, this will be slashed, though the number cannot fall below a legal minimum of 311 mailboxes.

Omniva has been tracking post box usage this year, and those with low traffic are to be axed.

2026 will also bring the first Omniva wireless community machines, to be located in smaller population centers, close to apartment blocks, bus stops and fuel stations. These will number in the hundreds, with locations to be agreed with local governments, though they are set to become much more widespread, Kuldma said.

"This is just the start. We want machines within a few hundred meters of nearly every home. Within 'slippers distance,'" he added, while snail mail and magazines and other publications will eventually be delivered by this route too.

As well as the state and local government, other stakeholders including land owners and regulatory bodies, as well as the Competition Authority, are to be involved in the new services' rollout.

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