On December 13, for the first time, high speed internet coverage provided at Uhuru Peak, atop Africa’s highest mountain at 5,985 meters above sea level, as well as rest shelters along the way, including Horombo and Kibo.
From now on, visitors will be able to share updates over the Internet while ascending to the summit. And what is most important, in an emergency, visitors will also be able to call for help. At the beginning of the year, all rest camps located below 3,795m Kilimanjaro had high-speed Internet connection and Wi-Fi coverage.
The Mount Kilimanjaro high-speed network is part of the national ICT broadband backbone project, built by the Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation (TTCL). Huawei Tanzania donated most of the telecommunication equipment for the deployment of the Mount Kilimanjaro network.
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage Site that attracts around 50,000 climbers a year. Tourism is vital to the Tanzanian economy and generated some $1.4 billion in 2021, representing 6% of Tanzania’s GDP.
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Tanzanian Minister of Information, Communications and Information Technology Nape Moses Nnauye hailed Huawei’s contribution in rolling out network coverage on Mount Kilimanjaro, which will not only help attract more tourists to Tanzania by allowing them to share and promote Tanzania’s rich tourism resources to the world in a timely manner, but also enhance employment, increase income and promote national development. “Connecting Africa’s highest peak brings hope and strength to the Tanzanian people, and makes Tanzanians proud of their country again.”
Venus Muro, Chairman of the TTCL Council, stated: “The inauguration of the network and the establishment of the Internet signal from the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro to the top remind me of the words of Julius Nyerere, father of the Tanzanian nation. He said: ‘We light the torch to bring hope to the people.’ Today, by providing connectivity, we are opening the door for the world to talk about Kilimanjaro and draw the world’s attention to Tanzania.”
TTCL Managing Director, Eng. Peter Ulanga, said: “We have worked closely with Huawei during the construction of the network to connect the highest peak in Africa. Huawei has provided us with high-quality equipment that performed flawlessly despite the extreme weather conditions.”
Damon Zhang, CEO of Huawei Tanzania, has stated that since entering Tanzania in 2007, Huawei has been committed to providing reliable and secure telecommunications to the Tanzanian people. “Huawei’s support for building the network and Internet coverage on Mount Kilimanjaro is a manifestation of Huawei’s support for the implementation of Tanzania’s National Information and Communications Technology Policy. In the future, Huawei stands ready to continue to be a part of Tanzania’s success story and help the country achieve its Third Five-Year National Development Plan (FYDP III) by actively participating in projects such as the Tanzania ICT Broadband Backbone and the Rural Coverage Project.»
