Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro Now Offers High-Speed Internet

Located in northern Tanzania, Africa’s highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro stands at more than 19,000 feet (around 5,000 meters) above sea level. This iconic mountain peak is already a mountain climber’s dream come true. However, thanks to the Tanzanian authorities, those climbing the mountain’s slopes can now document their journey in real-time on Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp.

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania keeps up with the times

These days, everything revolves around the internet, social media and instant news. In fact, most people would be lost, wondering what to do with their thumbs, if they left their smartphones at home.

While sometimes, this is a bad thing, with people walking like zombies, and staring at their phones, at other times, having the internet handy is a good thing. In the case of Africa’s highest peak, it is nothing short of magical to be able to instantly reveal your ascent in real time to anyone around the world.

The Ministry of Information announced that the broadband service was installed by the Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation. In fact, it was officially launched on Tuesday. Nape Moses Nnauye, Tanzania’s Minister of Information, Communication and Information Technology send out a tweet on Tuesday, August 16 as follows:

Today Up on Mount Kilimanjaro: I am hoisting high-speed INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS (BROADBAND) on the ROOF OF AFRICA. Tourists can now communicate worldwide from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. WE ARE GOING TO UHURU PEAK 5880 Meters Above Sea Level!

Today Up on Mount Kilimanjaro: I am hoisting high-speed INTERNET COMMUNICATIONS (BROADBAND) on the ROOF OF AFRICA. Tourists can now communicate worldwide from the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. WE ARE GOING TO UHURU PEAK 5880 Meters Above Sea Level!#royaltourcompliment #royaltour pic.twitter.com/jXqGoWCBjU

— Nape Moses Nnauye (@Nnauye_Nape) August 16, 2022

Meanwhile, Nnauye also said it was unsafe for travelers to navigate Mount Kilimanjaro without an internet connection. While the excitement of being able to share their accents with the world, experts also believe internet connectivity is useful in improving climbers’ awareness. Meanwhile, it also helps to guide their climbs up the slopes of Africa’s highest peak.

It turns out climbers on Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, already have Wi-Fi services at base camp. Now, Africa is following the trend.

At Tuesday’s launch of the new internet service, Nnauye said:

Previously, it was a bit dangerous for visitors and porters who had to operate without internet.

About Kilimanjaro National Park

The massive peak stands in Kilimanjaro National Park and is a protected UNESCO World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, its attraction for climbers provides a healthy chunk of Tanzania’s tourism revenue. In fact, the broadband service forms part of the country’s plan to lure tourists to the East African nation, tripling arrivals in two years.

According to a local guide service, thousands of adventurers climb Mount Kilimanjaro each year. Meanwhile, many try their best to reach the iconic summit. On achieving their aim, the magical sign, pictured above, awaits them.

On checking the latest related tweets, Twitter user @AsianWomenMeanBusiness yesterday reached the summit of Africa’s highest mountain and happily tweeted images to prove that fact. Well done, ladies!

https://twitter.com/A_W_M_B/status/1560640967157301249?s=20&t=SDRqj0uhP3TA3nWAhWezpQ

News of Mount Kilimanjaro’s internet connection has been praised by Chen Minghian, the Chinese ambassador to Tanzania. According to CNN, China is jointly financing the Tanzanian government’s efforts to provide wider access to ICT infrastructure.