North Korea to open 3G Internet service

Foreigners visiting North Korea will soon be allowed to access Twitter, use Skype and surf the web using mobile phones, iPads and other devices.

On February 22, service provider Koryolink announced that it will provide 3G internet service next week, no later than March 1. Koryolink is a joint venture between the Korea Posts and Telecommunications Corporation and Egyptian telecommunications company Orascom.

Starting next week, foreigners in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will be allowed to purchase mobile internet plans using their own USB modems or mobile devices with SIM cards installed. Prices for the service have not yet been announced.

Koryolink’s announcement comes just weeks after North Korea began allowing foreigners to bring their own cell phones (but only with SIM cards provided by Koryolink). North Korea has long required international visitors to leave their phones at customs, making it difficult for many to communicate with the outside world.

The two changes in the above policy are expected to create great convenience for foreigners living, working or traveling in North Korea.

International visitors can now buy SIM cards at the airport or Koryolink stores for 50 euros. International calls cost around 0.38 euros per minute to Switzerland and France, and over 5 euros per minute to the United States. Calls to South Korea remain banned.

However, wireless internet services will not be available to North Koreans themselves – they are governed by a separate set of telecommunications regulations. State newspaper Rodong Sinmun said North Korean citizens will only be allowed access to certain 3G services, including text messaging and multimedia messaging, and video calls.

North Korea now has broadband internet, but only a small percentage of its population has access to the global computer network.

During his visit to North Korea in January 2013, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt urged the country to expand its internet access. He commented that providing internet service on Koryolink's ever-expanding 3G mobile network is very convenient for North Korea.

Shortly after Schmidt’s visit, Google released maps of North Korea with more detail based on contributions from outsiders. Previously, North Korea was largely blank on Google Maps, but the update now includes full street names, parks, train stations, and monuments in Pyongyang and several other major North Korean cities.

Since Egyptian company Orascom built a 3G network in North Korea four years ago, mobile phone usage has skyrocketed in the Northeast Asian country. Orascom says the country now has more than 1 million mobile phone users, with most cities covered by the network.

The Chinese-made Huawei phones sold by Koryolink are not cheap—the most basic ones sell for $150. The phones have become a staple for both the elite in Pyongyang and the middle class in cities like Kaesong and Wonsan.

The above expansions come as North Korea pushes for science and technology development to boost its still-weak economy.

The late leader Kim Jong-il is said to have used a MacBookPro laptop. A recent photo shows current leader Kim Jong-un owning a smartphone./.

According to Tuoi Tre - DT