To reach the summit of Mount Everest, there are certain things adventurers are willing to go without, like normal food, adequate shelter and the certitude they’ll make it back down in one piece.
Free internet, apparently, is not one of those things.
While free wifi won’t be coming to the top of Everest’s 29,029-foot summit, the state-run Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) will be bringing gratis hotspots to both Lukla-Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Base Camp at an altitude of close to 17,000 feet, according to reports.
In addition to installing wifi at the camps (which already have mobile and landline services), the NTA also plans to install hotspots along the way up and in certain other areas.
The thinking behind the move is tourism. The NTA hopes visitors who make it to Lukla-Everest and Annapurna will be able to send photos, videos, tweets, SnapFaces and InstaChats, which will effectively boost visitor numbers.
Just be careful with those selfies.
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