China Mobile and Huawei bring 5G to Mount Everest

Huawei and China Mobile have announced that they have brought 5G connectivity to the summit of Mount Everest, taking 5G “to a new height” at an altitude of 6,500 metres. The two firms collaborated to bring 5G connectivity at the Base Camp at the altitude of 5,300 metres, the Transition Camp at 5,800 metres, and the Forward Camp at 6,500 metres.

In its statement, Huawei explained why the news was significant:

“On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first successful arrival at Mount Everest from the northern slope, and the 45th anniversary of China's first official accurate measurement and announcement of Mount Everest, the 5G network on Mount Everest will provide communication services for this 2020 Mount Everest re-measurement is of great significance.”

Thanks to Huawei’s technical solutions, China Mobile can deliver reliable coverage to those scaling the mountain. The solution allows for highly flexible three-dimensional narrow beams that work well vertically on Mount Everest. At the Base Camp, China Mobile delivers download speeds of 1.66 Gbps and upload speeds of 215 Mbps.

In order to keep the network running smoothly, network specialists are stationed 24/7 in high-altitude regions of 5,300 metres and above. This allows them to easily fix any problems and “ensure smooth network operations.”