Mt. Everest to Get Cell Phone Coverage

Hi Mom. Guess what? I've got cerebral edema and I'm freezing to death. How's Dad?

That's right. The summit of Mt. Everest is about to be enveloped in a comforting shroud of cell coverage. So you can take the sat phone off your shopping list. That should knock a thousand bucks off the 50k price tag.  

Funny thing is I've gotten so used to cell coverage that I kind of expect it these days even when climbing and skiing. It's ubiquitous in Tahoe. And when I was on Mt. Shasta last weekend I got a call at high camp from a buddy in LA. Then called my gal to say good-night.

I'm not sure if this takes away from the experience or not. Frankly, I think I kinda like it. Is that weird?

Via Reuters:

A Nepali telecom firm plans to expand its mobile phone services to the top of Mount Everest, benefitting climbers on the world's highest mountain, a company official said on Thursday.

Hundreds of climbers, who go to the 8,850 meter (29,035 feet) Mount Everest every year, depend on expensive satellite phones to speak with their families as the remote Himalayan region does not have communication facilities.

"We are going to set up mobile towers in Thakdin, Manjo, Pheriche and Gorak Shep, which will bring the summit of Mount Everest within the network coverage," Anoop Ranjan Bhattarai, director of the satellite service wing of Nepal Telecom, said.