Mount Everest climbers to use VoIP services?

Climbers at the top of Mount Everest could be set to use VoIP services to contact loved-ones from the world's highest peak.

Nepalese telecommunications firm Ncell has deployed eight 3G base stations along the route to the mountain's base camp, with the highest installed at an altitude of 5,200 metres (17,000 ft).

Mountaineers will now be able to access the internet to download weather forecasts and make video and VoIP calls via the high-speed 3G network.

Lars Nyberg, chief executive of TeliaSonera, the parent company of Ncell, said: "This is a great milestone for mobile communications as the 3G high speed internet will bring faster, more affordable telecommunication services from the world's tallest mountain."

Previously, climbers had to rely on erratic satellite phone coverage and a voice-only network developed by China Mobile in 2007 to maintain contact with friends and family.

Around 3,000 people have climbed to Everest's summit since Edmund Hillary first completed the feat in 1953.