North Korea Gets Cell Phones

North Korea has signed a deal with an Egyptian company that will allow limited cell phone service in the country.

There are no cell phones – at least no legal ones – in North Korea. They were introduced briefly in 2002, then withdrawn quickly following a rail crash which was believed to be a plot to kill the country’s leader Kim Jon-Il, involving cell phone use.

Now the cell phone is coming back, in part at least, to North Korea. The Guardian reports that the government has signed a deal with Egyptian company Orascom to launch a 3G network. But only a limited number of the 23 million people in North Korea will have access to it.

Orascom’s chairman, Naguib Sawiris, expects 10% of the population to have service, and for 50,000 to sign up in the first six months. Initial coverage will be for the capital and other large cities. He said:

"This is not just about providing third-generation mobile services. We are making history in a country that is developing and opening up in a remarkable way."