There’s 3G mobile phone coverage on the summit of Mount Everest, so you could tweet from the top.
“climbing Mount Everest is a feat most of us will never achieve, but until now those that have reached the summit couldn’t phone and tell anyone. That is unless they invested in a lot of expensive equipment and took advantage of a satellite link.
From today that changes. Ncell, the Nepalese subsidiary of Swedish carrier TeliaSonera, has completed the installation of a high-altitude 3G base station at 5,200 meters. The good news for climbers is that the station will provide a signal even at the highest point of 8,848 meters.
With the introduction of 3G, communication on the famous mountain is now a lot easier. You can just take your standard smartphone with you and dial home when you reach the top. If no one believes you’ve made it then just make a video call instead and show them. More importantly, if you get into difficulties while climbing it’s a lot easier and more reliable to call for help.
Lars Nyberg, chief executive of TeliaSonera, heralded it as a milestone:
This is a great milestone for mobile communications as the 3G high speed internet will bring faster, more affordable telecommunication services from the world?s tallest mountain.