Of all the places to get away from the connected world, you would think that Mount Everest would be a pretty good bet. That's about to change, however, with the announcement that wireless provider Ncell has successfully launched 3G services in the Mount Everest area.
This, of course, is not just so adventure seekers can live-tweet their ascent to the top of Everest. The 3G roll out will also provide residents in the area with much-needed access to advanced telecom services. By the end of 2011, Ncell will provide mobile coverage to more than 90 percent of the people in Nepal, according to TeliaSonera, which owns Ncell.
The company's 3G base station is located at an altitude of about 17,000 feet and is the highest in the world, TeliaSonera said. It will enable locals, climbers, and trekkers to surf the Web, send video clips and e-mails, and make calls at rates cheaper than satellite phones.
TeliaSonera has been in Nepal since 2008, at which point mobile penetration in the country was at 15 percent. The company said Friday that that has now risen to 30 percent. Subsidiary Ncell has about 3.7 million subscribers in Nepal, a number that it hopes will rise with the advent of 3G service. TeliaSonera plans to invest $100 million in the region to ensure mobile coverage for 90 percent of the population by the end of next year, and 3G service in major cities and other densely populated areas.
TeliaSonera posted an interview with climber Veikka Gustafsson, who has lived in Nepal for several years. He said that when he first came to Himalaya in 1993, the satellite phone equipment weighed more than 220 pounds, but advances in mobile technology have "naturally made mountain climbing as a pursuit a bit easier and safer."
"The challenging terrain in mountain areas rarely lends itself to build pole lines and fixed connections," he said. "It's hard for people in the Western world to even imagine what it means for people living in distant villages in valleys separated by high mountains when they now make their first phone call to relatives or are able to contact a doctor over the phone."
The company's 3G base station is located at an altitude of about 17,000 feet and is the highest in the world, TeliaSonera said. It will enable locals, climbers, and trekkers to surf the Web, send video clips and e-mails, and make calls at rates cheaper than satellite phones.
TeliaSonera has been in Nepal since 2008, at which point mobile penetration in the country was at 15 percent. The company said Friday that that has now risen to 30 percent. Subsidiary Ncell has about 3.7 million subscribers in Nepal, a number that it hopes will rise with the advent of 3G service. TeliaSonera plans to invest $100 million in the region to ensure mobile coverage for 90 percent of the population by the end of next year, and 3G service in major cities and other densely populated areas.
TeliaSonera posted an interview with climber Veikka Gustafsson, who has lived in Nepal for several years. He said that when he first came to Himalaya in 1993, the satellite phone equipment weighed more than 220 pounds, but advances in mobile technology have "naturally made mountain climbing as a pursuit a bit easier and safer."
"The challenging terrain in mountain areas rarely lends itself to build pole lines and fixed connections," he said. "It's hard for people in the Western world to even imagine what it means for people living in distant villages in valleys separated by high mountains when they now make their first phone call to relatives or are able to contact a doctor over the phone."
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