A British man will set off from Everest base camp early next week – to make a phone call.

Rod Baber hopes to climb to the highest point on Earth to make his call, and get himself in the record books. Making a mobile phone call from the top of Everest is now possible because of the recent installation of a relay station on the Tibet side of the mountain.

Mr Baber is at base camp recuperating before the final push up the peak, which he expects to take eight days. Mobile communications in the area have also improved because the Chinese army has set up equipment on the Tibet side of the mountain in preparation for an attempt at taking an Olympic torch to the summit.

The 36-year-old London-based climber has shed 11kg since he started training and acclimatising. The mobile phone manufacturer confirmed that it should be theoretically possible to obtain a signal at the summit following the installation of the new base stations to the North of Everest.