Nepal on Wednesday said it will provide free Wi-Fi in at the Lukla-Everest base camp area and Annapurna base camp, IANS reported. The initiative is a bid to promote the tourism sector and provide connectivity during natural disasters, the news agency reported.

Speaking to reporters in Kathmandu, the country’s telecommunication authority chairperson Digambar Jha said, “In the initial phase we will set up free Wi-Fi zones along the Lukla-Everest base camp area and Annapurna trail.”

The service will be based on the Okamura model, which uses relatively cheaper optical cables for high speed internet.

The region has been hit by several avalanches that were triggered by earthquakes in the past and suffers from poor connectivity.