The state-owned Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation installed the broadband network at an altitude of 12,200 feet and aims to bring connectivity to the summit of the 19,300-foot mountain by the end of the year. High-speed internet service has made it to Mount Kilimanjaro, meaning climbers can now use their phones to help with navigation and post on social media as they ascend Africa’s tallest mountain. The new coverage is aimed at supporting tourism as well as safety. Climbers can now share selfies from the slope, and their friends and acquaintances can follow their journey in real-time.
Tanzanian authorities are working to expand high-speed broadband across the country through an initiative called the National ICT Broadband Backbone, which is operated by the Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation on behalf of the government. Its objectives include increasing information and communications technology for “equitable and sustainable socio-economic and cultural development of Tanzania,” as well as providing access to international submarine fiber optic cables via Dar es Salaam to landlocked neighboring countries such as Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.