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26 August, 2022

Kilimanjaro gets high-speed internet for social media savvy travellers

Travellers exploring Kilimanjaro can now go live on Instagram, send snapchats in real time and Tweet every step of their journey because Tanzania has installed high-speed internet on the mountain.

The broadband network sits at an altitude of 3,720 metres and was established by the state-owned Tanzania Telecommunications Corporation. The Tanzanian Prime Minister, Nape Nnauye, called the event historic.

“Previously, it was a bit dangerous for visitors and porters who had to operate without internet,” Nnauye said at the launch of the service.

“All visitors will get connected … [up to] this point of the mountain,” the Tanzanian PM said at one of the camps en route to the peak. Nnauye said the summit of the 5,895-metre mountain will get an internet connection by the end of this year. He posted a group of tourists enjoying the high-speed internet on Twitter last week.

Mita 3795 kutoka usawa wa bahari kuelekea kwenye paa la Bara la Afrika, Mlima Kilimanjaro. Kituo hichi tumewasha Internet ya Kasi kutoka TTCL na watalii wanafurahia huduma!💪🏽💪🏽. #KaziIendelee! pic.twitter.com/oQTxuOvhNn
— Nape Moses Nnauye (@Nnauye_Nape) August 16, 2022

This has stirred some controversy, as critics are saying that the Tanzanian government is prioritising the needs of tourists over locals. Less than half the area of Tanzania (which accounts for 83 per cent of the population) was covered for any form of cell reception as of 2020, the Center for Global Development reported.

Telecommunications coverage in Tanzania is almost entirely managed by international private corporations. A researcher at the University of Oslo, Josef Noll, said operators have refused to expand 3G and 4G to rural areas because not enough people have phones to facilitate internet usage.

Tourism seems to be a priority for Tanzania as the sector has historically been the largest foreign exchange earner, second largest GDP and third largest contributor to employment in the country.

While Kilimanjaro seems to be encouraging social media use, some tourist hot spots have banned this behaviour.

In Nepal, religious and historic attractions such as the Buddhist pilgrimage site Lumbini, Kathmandu’s Boudhanath Stupa, and the Ram Janaki and Gadhimi among others have banned TikTok creators.

“Making TikTok by playing loud music creates a nuisance for pilgrims from all over the world who come to the birthplace of Gautama Buddha,” the Lumbini Development Trust’s Sanuraj Shakya told Rest of World.

Some TikToks show off the sites respectfully, however many comprise young people dancing their way through the locations; hindering the experience for other travellers.

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kilimanjaro Nape Nnauye tanzania