At 5, 895 meters, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa. It's also the world's tallest mountain that is not part of a mountain range (山脉). The mountain is part of Kilimanjaro National Park in the northeast of Tanzania. Around 50, 000 people visit the park each year. Most of them — about 35,000 every year — are trying to climb the mountain.
But climbing such a tall, glacier-covered (冰川覆盖的) mountain isn't easy. About one-third of the people who try to climb it are forced to give up. Tanzania's information minister said, "In the past, it was a bit dangerous for visitors without the Internet."
The new Internet service should make it easier for climbers to reach the top of the mountain. They can use the Internet to check maps and find their way. And they can also use the Internet to call for help if they need it.
Now, the new service reaches more than halfway up the mountain. The government says that by the end of the year, climbers will be able to get the Internet even at the very top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
The government adds that safety is the main reason for setting up the Internet service on the mountain. At the same time, having people post pictures and videos on social media as they climb Mount Kilimanjaro would certainly make the mountain even more popular with tourists.
Some people, however, aren't happy with the government's decision. The reason is that, according to a study in 2020, only about 83% of people in Tanzania could get cell phone service.
