Moto reaches new heights

British mountain climber Rod Baber set a world record by making a mobile phone call from the summit of Mount Everest on Monday.

Baber made two calls from the mountain’s north ridge using his Motorola RIZR Z8 in the early hours of Monday morning. The summit is about 8,848 metres up and has temperatures of around -30 degrees.

The feat was made possible by China Telecom, which set up a cell phone tower at the base camp, with line of sight to the peak.

Motorola, which is sponsoring the challenge, set up a voicemail box to ensure the attempt was recorded.

Baber set off for the Himalayas on March 30 and began his final ascent of May 15.