Mount Kilimanjaro seen from Amboseli Park in Kenya on July 21, 2022 (AFP/Tanya Willmer)
Tanzania has installed a high-speed internet line on the slopes of Kilimanjaro to enhance the safety of porters and climbers as they climb Africa’s highest peak, AFP learned on Wednesday.
The public company Tanzania Telecommunications put the line installed at an altitude of 3,720 meters into service on Tuesday, and the network will cover the summit and its legendary snow at 5,895 m by the end of the year.
“In the past it was a bit dangerous for visitors and porters to operate without internet,” Nape Nnauye said at the service’s inauguration, surrounded by government officials and tourists.
“All tourists are going to be connected (…) to this place”, he added from the refuge of Horombo Huts.
Located in the northeast of Tanzania, near the border with Kenya, the mountain is a popular destination for tourists and mountaineers, who are about 35,000 each year to undertake its ascent.
The mountain – celebrated by Ernest Hemingway in “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” – and the area surrounding it are classified as a National Park and it is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Last year, a government cable car project on the southern slope of Kilimanjaro drew widespread criticism from hikers and environmental protection organisations.
Technology is penetrating more and more into the world of the mountain, from wifi to which Everest climbers have access to smartphones which allow rapid alerts in the event of an accident.
© 2022 AFP
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