The Future of Postal Services: Omniva Installs 10 Community Parcel Lockers in Põlva County Villages
In collaboration with the Põlvamaa Partnerluskogu, Omniva launches ten new parcel lockers in villages across Põlva County on 1 July. These lockers require no electricity or internet connection and can be used by all interested local residents and delivery companies. This autumn, Omniva will begin expanding its network of community lockers across Estonia. In the future, these next-generation lockers will not only serve as parcel machines but also as post offices, letterboxes, and mailboxes.
The community lockers are compact, battery-powered machines that require neither internet nor electricity on the spot. They are independent of power outages.
“We call these innovative machines ‘community lockers’ because they’re ideal for serving small communities and rural areas — at village entrances, bus stops, apartment blocks,” explained Martti Kuldma, CEO of Omniva. “Whereas a traditional parcel locker must be located near a shop or in a central area with electricity and internet access — making installation a long process — a community locker can be installed by two people in just 15 minutes, anywhere,” Kuldma added.
Community lockers work just like regular parcel machines — when a parcel arrives, the recipient receives a phone notification with an access code. Multiple parcels for the same recipient can fit into a single locker. The machines also allow customers to send parcels using Omniva’s self-service.
Community lockers are available to all companies that wish to use them under a cooperation agreement with Omniva.
Põlva County Leads the Way Toward the Future of Logistics
Omniva will begin installing community lockers across the whole of Estonia this autumn. The company aims to have about 700 lockers in the next five years, and eventually one within 300 metres of every home in Estonia over the next decade.
“Traditional post offices see a 15–20% decrease in traffic annually because 83% of Estonians prefer to send and receive parcels using lockers. Omniva, as a state-owned company, is committed to delivering the services people want and need,” Kuldma commented.
However, Põlva County residents won’t have to wait that long for the future of logistics to arrive. Thanks to the LEADER programme and the initiative of the Põlvamaa Partnerluskogu, 10 Omniva community lockers have already been purchased and installed. From 1 July, residents in Himmaste, Põlgaste, Valgjärve, Rasina, Taevaskoja, Krootuse, Peri, Leevi, Kauksi, and Kooraste can begin using them.
“Our aim is to make sending, receiving, and returning parcels more convenient, flexible, and accessible for local people — around the clock. This is a step toward a more community-centred and modern logistics system,” said Tiiu Rüütle, Executive Director of Põlvamaa Partnerluskogu.
The collaboration with Põlvamaa Partnerluskogu demonstrates how local initiative can bring a more convenient future much sooner.
Community Lockers Could Become Postal Service Points in the Future
In the future, as the network of community lockers is rolled out across Estonia and postal law reforms allow them to serve as access points for universal postal services, these lockers could also take on the role of local postal service points — enabling residents to send and receive letters, newspapers, and other periodicals.
“On the one hand, this is a smart solution to one of the biggest challenges in postal services — ensuring that everyone continues to receive their mail and newspapers, even as volumes drop. On the other hand, it solves a practical issue we see every day at Omniva — people rarely check their letterboxes anymore because they receive letters so infrequently, so when they are finally picked up, they are already both late and wet. With the community lockers, customers always receive a phone notification telling them that they have a dry and secure delivery waiting — whether it’s a parcel, letter, or newspaper,” Kuldma noted.
List of new community lockers in Põlva County:
– Keskuse tee 6/2, Himmaste village, Põlva municipality
– Saia tee 2, Põlgaste village, Kanepi municipality
– Järve tee 4, Valgjärve village, Kanepi municipality
– Rasina village, Põlva municipality
– Taevaskoja tee 3, Taevaskoja village, Põlva municipality
– Pargi tn 3, Krootuse village, Kanepi municipality
– Pargi tee 2/1, Peri village, Põlva municipality
– Posti tee 2b, Leevi village, Räpina municipality
– Kauksi village, Põlva municipality
– Mari-Anne, Kooraste village, Kanepi municipality