Picture the scene. You’ve just climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa and the fourth-tallest in the entire world, so you go to post about it on Twitter or Instagram and you haven’t got any service. What a bloomin’ nightmare, eh?
Before you start waking up in cold sweats, we’ve got some good news. As of last week, the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro now boast high-speed internet. The Tanzanian government has installed a broadband network at a height of 3,720 metres, making sure that climbers have internet access for much of their way up the mountain. Phew!
However, the purpose of the network isn’t just so that you can document your ascent on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or whatever. It’ll also help people better navigate the mountain and ensure better access for emergency services.
Kilimanjaro isn’t the first mega-tall mountain to get network access. Mount Everest, for instance, has apparently had 5G internet coverage since all the way back in 2020.
However, before you dash off to livestream your climb of the world’s largest freestanding mountain, know that Kilimanjaro’s high-speed internet coverage is a work in progress. The network currently doesn’t cover the entirety of the mountain’s total height of 5,895 metres, though the Tanzanian government has said it expects it to by the end of the year. So there’ll be no limits to your ‘so humbled by the majesty of nature’ social media output.
Now, see the awe-inspiring winners of the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year competition.