Mount Everest Gets 3G Service 150
bossanovalithium writes "It's what every mountaineer wants when they reach the summit of Mount Everest: a 3G high-speed communication. Those who have trekked to the top will soon able to call their mates, go on Facebook or Twitter, and boast that they got there thanks to TeliaSonera and its subsidiary in Nepal, Ncell, which have brought 3G to the Mount Everest area. Climbers who reached Everest's 8,848-meter-high peak previously depended on expensive and erratic satellite phone coverage and a voice-only network set up by China Mobile in 2007 on the Chinese side of the mountain."
Not what it was (Score:4, Informative)
K2 is the real challenge these days. With enough money you can have your lazy ass dragged to the summit of Everest. Fitting.
Re:It's true! (Score:3, Informative)
> "They get extra pay and benefits..."
I can't speak to the Police pay and benefits, but as a retired USAF E-6 I can speak to military pay & benefits. Military pay is just above the poverty level. As a 15 year NCO in California, I qualified for subsidized housing. Living was paycheck to paycheck and any unanticipated expense (and some of the anticipated ones) were a financial disaster.
Yes, I "retired" after 20 years (while remaining part of the reserve forces for the privilege), but not with anywhere near enough money to actually live on, so I started a second career at the age of 39.
Those of us who have served long years aren't in it for the money - trust me on that.