Everest joins 3G network

MOUNT Everest is the latest place to be covered by a 3G mobile telephone network, the operator said yesterday.

Swedish company Ncell has established seven stations in the region that covers the Himalayas, including at Everest base camp, allowing thousands of climbers and trekkers to make fast internet connections and video calls.

The highest station is at 17,000ft, near where mountaineers traditionally gather in their attempts to scale the 29,035ft mountain, the world's highest peak.

Ncell is a subsidiary of the Swedish telecoms company Telia Sonera.