Mt Kilimanjaro gets high-speed internet so you can Instagram your ascent

At 19,340 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain (Image credit: Tanzania Tourism)

Mountaineers can now check Twitter and Instagram while attempting to climb Africa’s tallest peak. Tanzania has installed high-speed internet on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, which means anyone with a smartphone will get service on the mountain.

The broadband network was set up Tuesday (August 16) by Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation, the state-owned telecommunications company.

Tanzania’s information minister Nape Nnauye, speaking at the launch event, called it a “historic” moment, reports the Guardian.

“Previously, it was a bit dangerous for visitors and porters who had to operate without internet,” Nnauye said. “All visitors will get connected ... [up to] this point of the mountain,” he said, referring to Horombo Huts, a campsite that falls on the route to the summit.

He also tweeted a photograph of the event which shows him flaked by governments officials and tourists.

Mita 3795 kutoka usawa wa bahari kuelekea kwenye paa la Bara la Afrika, Mlima Kilimanjaro. Kituo hichi tumewasha Internet ya Kasi kutoka TTCL na watalii wanafurahia huduma!. #KaziIendelee! pic.twitter.com/oQTxuOvhNn

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

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa's tallest mountain at about 19,340 feet, and also the world’s highest single free-standing mountain. Nnauye said the mountain’s peak would get internet connectivity by the end of the year.

According to Tanzania Tourism, “hiking on the ‘rooftop of Africa’ — the highest point on the continent at 5896 metres — is the adventure of a lifetime, especially because, if paced well, everyone from seasoned trekkers to first-time enthusiasts can scale the snowy peak.”

As one of the world’s most accessible summits, Mt Kilimanjaro attracts more than 35,000 people each year who try to reach its peak.