@kitten if I read the article correctly, it's still possible to receive letters at home but for sending you have to go to a particular shop. Which, honestly, doesn't seem too bad.
@kitten@ayke Has been like that in Germany for like 30 years now since they turned the Bundespost (federal mail) into a bunch of mostly private companies like Deutsche Post and Deutsche Telekom. These companies did inherit some infrastructure and obligations from the Bundespost, but functionally they are private companies, though partially owned by the government.