(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-17 22:04

Changcheng Station, Antarctica -- China's Changcheng Station on Antarctica will get access to the Internet late in February cutting short the distance between the continent and the homeland.

The Changcheng Station -- Shanghai satellite communication program is under intense construction, said Li Xinrui, senior engineer at China International Telecommunication Construction Corporation (CITCC), the major contractor on the program.

Changcheng Station, China's first station here, was founded in February 1985 and located south of King George Island.

A "satellite plus international cable" have to be installed to access the Internet, because the station and Shanghai are located in two different spheres and cannot be covered by one satellite, Li said.

Life for scientists at the station will become much more convenient as a result of the project, as video meetings, sending e-mails, transferring scientific data, network chatting will be enabled through the Internet.

Moreover, using mobile phones in the South Pole will become possible after the opening of the "satellite plus cable" information highway at Changcheng Station, Li said.

China Mobile Communication Corporation is discussing with the CITCC and  the Polar Research Institute of China to build mobile base stations at the Changcheng and Zhongshan stations. Zhongshan Station is China's second station on the continent and was built in February 1989.

A Chinese expedition team Saturday successfully scaled Dome A, the highest point on the continent at 4,093 meters above sea level. It is the second time in both Chinese and human history that the highest point on the continent has been scaled.

China launched its first expedition to Antarctica in 1984, since when  such expeditions have been conducted on an annual basis.