Official News page 7

REAL LIFE NEWS: HELLO... I'M ON THE MOUNTAIN...

by Hazed

Speaking of using mobile phones in remote places, cellphone reception has now arrived at the highest point on Earth: the summit of Mount Everest!

Great, that's all you need after reaching the pinnacle of the mighty mountain. While you revel in your triumph, breathe in the thin air and contemplate the peace and quiet, someone close to you will be braying into his handset. Can you hear me now?

This is thanks to a Nepalese telecoms group, Ncell, who have set up a high-speed t3G phone base station at an altitude of 17,000 feet, near Gorakshep village in the Everest region.

To be fair, this isn't just so that people can yell into their phones and annoy everyone else - it will enable climbers to make video calls, so they will be able to send back real-time video to their contacts back at sea level.

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