Bringing the Internet to One of the Remotest Places on Earth

In 2022, Kathmandu-based Bikram Shrestha of the Nepal Internet Foundation was introduced to Chhepal Dorjee Sherpa, a trekking guide and entrepreneur who grew up in Khunde, Nepal. Bikram had prior experience with community networks, and together the two set out to build “the highest community network in the world.” At the time Khunde and Khumjung had patchy mobile phone coverage, with two dozen households paying about 1,000 rupees ($7.55) per month for an unreliable ADSL connection. The new vision: provide residents with fast and reliable Wi-Fi in their homes and businesses. In July 2022, they began with a pilot project and connected the Community Club in Khunde and the Edmund Hillary School in Khumjung. The signal was brought to the village via a wireless link from the Hotel Everest View: the nearest tourist spot where fiber connectivity ends.