If you sometimes have trouble connecting on your cellphone due to poor network service, imagine that same situation on top of the highest mountain in the world. That was the scenario that confronted U.K. resident Daniel Hughes in his quest to make the highest ever Skype video call.
A new post on the Skype blog talks about Hughes" mission, which began in 2010 when the commercial airline pilot decided he wanted to raise money to help the well-known U.K. children"s charity Comic Relief. His idea was to make a Skype call while on top of Mount Everest. He spend much of 2011 and 2012 gathering sponsors for the trip, including smartphone company HTC and satellite connection provider Inmarsat, which allowed him to connect to Skype anywhere in the world.
In May 2013, Hughes made the trip to scale Mount Everest, and on May 19 he successfully make his Skype video call to BBC News from the summit of the mountain, while also wearing the red clown nose that"s the symbol of the Comic Relief charity. Hughes is still raising money for his anti-poverty efforts, with the goal of reaching £1 million. More information can be found on the Everest Million website.
Source: Skype | Image via Skype