Swedish mobile carrier wires summit of Mount Everest for 3G

I'm not sure why it is that in my area I can't seem to get a reliable 3G connection with AT&T on my iPhone. The connection drops in and out of 3G and will go from one bar to full bars depending on how I hold my head and what time of day it is. Anyone with a similar problem knows how frustrating it can be. My 3G connection might be spotty here in Texas and AT&T may drive me crazy, but folks at the top of Mount Everest can now get full 3G connectivity for voice and data.

A Swedish telecom company called TeliaSonera has wired up a nearby village called Gorakshep that is in the Everest region. The 3G base station near the city has the oomph it needs to shoot a signal to the 17,000-foot peak of Everest. The system has enough bandwidth that a video call was made from a base camp at Mount Everest.

Interestingly the same wireless carrier has the world's lowest 3G station at 4,595 feet below sea level inside a European mine. The 3G service reaches to the top of Everest so now people, can Tweet about their summit adventure or beg for help in an emergency. The new connectivity means that climbers won't have to depend on satellite phones in an emergency. The downside is sherpas will now have to deal with the constant ding of text messages during their climb.