Wi-fi is our business, and we have previously covered the fact that most people in the Western world now expect free and reliable wi-fi (or 3G/4G) everywhere they go. This got us thinking about the opposite –  where on earth is there wi-fi where you would never expect it?

First up, is Barneo Ice Camp, which as the name might suggest, is a mere 80kms from the North Pole. Wi-fi was installed here by Intel in 2005 to allow research data to be sent back to institutions many miles  south.
There is, would you believe, wi-fi at Everest Base Camp, 5,000 meters above sea level. Very useful for uploading that ‘summit selfie’ with your Sherpa.

In slightly warmer climes, lots of tourist beaches in Europe and the States now offer wi-fi hotspots, so you can post happy sunshine filled updates to social media all day long, making friends, family and workmates green with envy.

Finally, some graveyards in the US are now offering free wi-fi, proving that you will never quite escape from Twitter, even when six feet under! There are also reports of QR codes being placed on graves, so one can find out more information about who is buried there. Rather ghoulish, and  topical given the shops are filling up with pumpkins and skeleton costumes!

So you might be pleasantly surprised to find strong and reliable wi-fi in the most unexpected of places. Your author today speaks from a point of bitter experience, but with 4G rather than wi-fi. There is absolutely no 4G coverage in the vaguely rural pocket of Hampshire in which I dwell, but I was astonished to have a strong 4G signal at the Aguille du Midi, looking up at Month Blanc and standing within touching distance of the highest point in Europe….