Cell phone signals will cover the frigid, void Hoh Xil area on China's Qinghai-Tibet plateau during the period of scientific exploration which lasts 40 days in upcoming three years, according to China United Telecom (China Unicom).

China Unicom, one of the two largest mobile operators in China, will provide CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) service in the region, with 2002 million yuan communication equipment.

Chinese scientists will explore and research the heart of freezing Hoh Xil mountainous area starting from Sept. 1 this year, officials with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said here Wednesday.

This will be the first time that anyone traverses the heart of the Hoh Xil mountainous area, which is an average of 5,300 meters above sea level.

It will also be the first time for scientists to use cell phones and transfer television signals in an exploration to the Hoh Xil area.

Li Zhengmao, vice chairman of the China Unicom, said CDMA signals will cover the nearby Tanggula Mountain to make it possible for scientists to communicate with others before they enter the heart of the Hoh Xil mountain. After they enter the mountain, signal vehicles will follow the scientists and provide communication services.

The CDMA network can detect the position of a cell phone within ten meters, making rescues easier, he said.

The result of the exploration can also be sent back through the network, Li said.

Although scientists have conducted research on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which is more than 2.4 million square kilometers in area, before, there is still very little known about the area, including the Hoh Xil.

The team will start out from Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, and reach the destination of Golmud in Qinghai Province by way of several other places including the Hoh Xil Lake.

Scientists will pass through various climate zones and observe volcanoes, thermal springs, plateau karst, glaciers, frozen earth and other geomorphological structures.

(Xinhua News Agency July 18, 2005)