According to various estimates, there are between 10,000 and 15,000 consumer drones in Estonia, weighing from a few hundred grams to a couple of kilograms. More than 8,000 drone pilots are registered with the Transport Administration, but the actual number of people flying them is thought to be significantly higher.

Trackdeep CEO Andy Viikmaa said the popularity of drones is only continuing to grow.

"This is only the beginning. Today, an average of 1,000 drones fly in Tallinn each month and about 80 percent of them are violating some rule," he told Sunday's evening news show "Aktuaalne kaamera."

Most drone pilots fly in the so-called open category, where a drone may rise to a maximum height of 120 meters and must remain within visual range. However, in reality, the rules are often forgotten.

"We are aware that, unfortunately, the rules are in fact broken quite often. In about a year and a half, there have been 8,400 violations. Unfortunately, we also have daring operators who go up into the clouds at heights of three and four kilometers," said Priit Rifk, head of the Transport Administration's unmanned aviation department.

Trackdeep has developed software and antennas that make it possible to see drone traffic over Tallinn and Tartu in real time.

"This is an antenna operating on Wi-Fi frequency, a directional antenna that reaches about 15 kilometers. In total, three such sets are needed to cover Tallinn," Viikmaa said.

But Estonia also has another company, Hextech, which has placed sensors that listen to drone radio traffic across the country.

"By now, we have covered most of Estonia in terms of drone monitoring. We see drones flying around in all county centers, plus we have some additional sensors in rural areas. By now, we have identified roughly 100,000 different drone flights carried out by around 11,000 different drones," said Hextech CEO Sten Nurmsalu.

'We have no idea whose drone is flying where'

The most common drones send out an identification signal that shows the drone's location, altitude, and the pilot's location. However, the pilot's identity usually remains hidden. Current law does not require drone pilots to enter their personal information. Existing registers also do not work together, the Transport Administration said.

"We are not currently linking those two together. In other words, we have no idea whose drone is flying where. The only way to find out is to go there and identify the drone pilot on site — controller in hand," Rifk said, adding that he believes the system will change in the second half of the year.

Problems arise when a drone flying at a height of a couple of kilometers encounters a small aircraft or helicopter.

"The worst-case scenario, of course, is that the aircraft comes down in pieces. The most reasonable scenario is that it gets dented, the way birds cause dents in airplanes," Rifk said.

"You can clearly see when it is a pilot who has repeatedly flown in the 120-meter zone at heights of kilometers and kilometers; this particular flight was recorded at an altitude of 4,421 meters. If a helicopter or private aircraft is flying around, that is already a height where, while cruising, you can easily hit an airplane. This drone has not carried out a single legal flight," the Hextech CEO said.

Drones also offer new business opportunities, but first, there must be certainty that the aircraft will not collide with each other in the air.

Controlled airspace

Preparations are underway in Tartu in south Estonia to create a controlled airspace for drones that would not allow the devices to freely move around. The automatically managed space would operate in layers, meaning hobby pilots would be allowed to operate within their own altitude range and, for example, drone couriers would be assigned separate air corridors.

"We have many, many services that can be provided with a drone. The simplest example would be pizza delivery, but also responding to accidents," said Meridein's Development Manager Eduard Vainu.

"If there is a need to move various medicines or blood products between hospitals, then all of that, everything that is time-critical, is already being planned in Estonia today. Today, drones can also carry packages weighing 40 to 50 kilograms," Viikmaa said.

But before drone deliveries can begin, the airspace must be controlled and certified. Those involved say this is extraordinarily expensive.

"The funding model is the most difficult part of this. Today, there is no business model for U-space, and that is currently the biggest obstacle," the Trackdeep CEO said.

The Transport Administration also admits that without charging users, it is difficult to maintain such a system as controlling the drone airspace would be the responsibility of a private company.

State Chancellery Drone Adviser Ott Tahk said: "What we do not want is to put airspace behind a paywall somewhere, so that hobby users would not be able to use that airspace. We definitely do not want that."

He added that Estonia's goal is to become one of the best drone countries by the end of the decade.

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