You scale Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa, and what’s the first thing you want to do at the top? Post a selfie in real time, obviously.
By the end of this year, climbers should be able to do just that. Officials are installing high-speed internet service on the 19,341-foot-tall mountain in Tanzania. But allowing people to post on social media isn’t the only plus. Wi-Fi will also make climbing Kilimanjaro safer because hikers and guides will be able to access navigation apps and call for help more easily.
If Kilimanjaro’s summit goes online later this year, it will top the record for world’s highest internet access. Mount Everest—the world’s tallest peak—has had Wi-Fi since 2013. But its service goes only as far as the base camp at 17,600 feet, not to the 29,032-foot summit.