You thought Tibet was remote? Not for much longer. Mobile phone repeater stations are being installed along the entire Qinghai-Tibet railway line, which only opened last year, and repeaters will also be installed on key highways linking the Tibetan capital Lhasa to the Mount Everest base camps.

That's good news for mountaineers, tourists and adventurous businesspeople scouting for opportunities in China's far west. Thanks to the marvels of global roaming, it also provides wonderful opportunities for mobile phone oneupmanship. Colleague back home: "I'm stuck in traffic outside Detroit, where are you?" Reply: "Watching the sun set over Mount Everest".

Nevertheless, EngagingChina can't help feeling a little sad that not even trekking in the foothills of Mount Everest will you escape from that plague of modern life: overhearing the mobile phone chatter of others.

A Chinese company, HK-listed Comba Telecom Systems Holdings, got the contract to improve coverage in what China calls the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Comba was responsible for installed some mobile phone infrastructure along the Qinghai-Tibet railway -- the world's highest -- in time for the official opening last year -- see this EngagingChina story.

That contract has now been extended to provide coverage along the entire 2,000km railway line and also on the highways into Everest. The highways are on the key route to the site where the Olympic flame will be lit next year and as we know, no project is too ambitious when China's Olympics are concerned.