Twenty Years of Mobile Communications in North Korea - 38 North

A Pyongyang 2425 cellphone. (Image: Martyn Williams.)

Two decades agone this month, North Koreans successful Pyongyang and Rason were the archetypal successful the federation to get a sensation of cellular telephony. In a state wherever landline phones were inactive the objection alternatively than the rule, mobile communications had the imaginable to revolutionize the mode radical communicate.

Data from caller interviews with North Korean escapees conducted by the authors indicates that cellphone usage is present ubiquitous; not lone is it utilized for connection with friends and family, but it underpins North Korean’s backstage economy—a captious instrumentality for communicating with suppliers, buyers and distributors indispensable to bash business.

In addition, this is not exclusive to Pyongyang oregon large cities. Data from the 38 North Digital Atlas shows the cellular web covers immense stretches of the country, extending good beyond municipality areas into agrarian North Korea. Interviews with caller escapees corroborate smartphone ownership is larger than antecedently reported, perchance betwixt 50 and 80 percent of the big population.

As a result, contempt the accrued anticipation for authorities surveillance done cellphone usage, mobile connection has go an integral and indispensable portion of North Korean regular life.

Early Days

North Korea’s archetypal cellular network, Sunnet, was switched connected successful November 2002 successful Rason and Pyongyang by Loxley Pacific, a Thai institution that had secured rights to physique and run the web from the North Korean government. It outgo 750 euros to motion up, a further 300 euros for a telephone and telephone calls outgo 15 North Korean won per minute.[1] The 2G Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) web was based connected second-hand instrumentality purchased from Vodafone Hungary erstwhile it was upgrading to 3G.[2]

Within a mates of months, it had 3,000 subscribers, and this grew to implicit 20,000 users by the extremity of 2003 erstwhile sum had expanded to respective provincial capitals and large highways.[3]

But that work was abbreviated lived. In May 2004, an detonation tore done a bid gait successful Ryongchon adjacent the Chinese borderline astir 9 hours aft a bid carrying Kim Jong Il passed done the station. Rumors dispersed that it was an assassination effort triggered by a cellphone, and portion the existent origin remains a mystery, the North Korean authorities suspended civilian usage of the web soon afterward.[4]

That network, however, was not wholly unopen down. For respective years aft the suspension of service, signals from Sunnet could beryllium received by visitors to North Korea and from definite points on the inter-Korean border. It is apt that the authorities recovered important payment successful cellular telephony and kept the web connected the aerial for authoritative use.

Figure 1. The Sunnet web shown connected an iPhone successful Pyongyang successful 2008.

(Image: Stephan/Flickr.)

A Second Chance

The authorities gave mobile phones a 2nd accidental successful 2008 erstwhile it awarded Egypt’s Orascom Technology a declaration to motorboat a 3G network. The service, called Koryolink, started successful December 2008 and is inactive successful cognition today. Orascom owns a 75 percent involvement successful the network, with the North Korean authorities holding the remaining 25 percent.[5] Orascom announced its archetypal cardinal subscribers successful February 2012 and had two cardinal subscribers by May 2013.[6]

Koryolink began with basal diagnostic phones but soon began offering smartphones to North Korean users. The basal Android handsets primitively came with fewer restrictions and adjacent allowed citizens to ticker overseas content, but successful 2014 the authorities forced an update connected telephone users that brought respective caller restrictions. The biggest alteration was the instauration of a integer certificate strategy that meant a telephone could lone amusement government-approved content.[7]

But contempt this onerous caller restriction, the popularity of smartphones continued to grow. This was astir apt due to the fact that basal communications—that is, the quality to easy telephone oregon substance connection household members and friends—remained the slayer app that attracted radical successful the archetypal place.

Penetration of landlines successful North Korea was and remains low. According to the International Telecommunication Union, determination are conscionable 1.2 cardinal households with landlines successful North Korea, truthful for galore North Koreans, mobile phones mightiness person been their archetypal sensation of basal telephony.

Figure 2. Timeline of North Korea mobile telecommunications from 1998-2019.

A Financial Disagreement

When North Korea welcomed Orascom Telecom into the country, it received millions of dollars successful inward investment. A fewer years later, erstwhile the concern became much lucrative and Orascom wanted to commencement withdrawing profits, the narration soured.

Orascom and the North Korean authorities disagreed connected the speech complaint that should beryllium utilized to person North Korean won into overseas currency, and months of negotiations followed. What precisely transpired remains a mystery, but successful 2015 Orascom said it had efficaciously mislaid control of Koryolink contempt inactive owning a bulk stake.

Further, it said the North Korean authorities had launched its ain cellular web to vie with Koryolink.

Orascom is inactive progressive successful Koryolink and, successful 2018, received a sanctions exemption from the United Nations to proceed operating the network.[8]

Cellular Telephony Today

Today, North Korea is covered by some Koryolink and Kang Song, the web launched by the North Korean authorities astir 2013.

Much little is known astir Kang Song than Koryolink, including whether the North Korean authorities built an wholly caller network, which seems unlikely, oregon is moving it implicit the aforesaid infrastructure. Both are 3G.

In interviews conducted this twelvemonth by the authors, caller North Korean escapees person stated the Koryolink work is present chiefly utilized successful Pyongyang, and Kang Song is utilized by radical successful different regions. They besides accidental ample numbers of radical person smartphones. Many estimated astir homes ain astatine slightest 1 mobile phone, with full penetration betwixt 50 and 80 percent of the country.

These figures are backed up by a survey published past period by Unification Media Group that surveyed 50 existent North Korean residents and recovered 46 of them had utilized North Korean mobile phones, and 41 of them, oregon 82 percent, reported owning a mobile phone. More than 90 percent of radical reported utilizing the telephone astatine slightest daily, and astir calls were to household members and traders. Because of the debased incidence of landlines, cellular appears to person filled a important request for basal telephony.

Based connected erstwhile data, statements from escapees and web coverage, the authors estimation that North Korea’s cellular networks apt person a full of betwixt 6.5 cardinal and 7 cardinal subscriber lines.

Figure 3. North Korean cellular subscriptions.

Nationwide Coverage

Together, some networks screen overmuch of the country. The 38 North Digital Atlas has identified implicit 1,000 cellular basal stations from outer imagery, photos and videos. The pursuing representation is based connected an estimated five-kilometer scope for each basal station, though nonstop sum volition disagree depending connected section terrain, antenna placement and powerfulness levels.

Figure 4. Estimated North Korean cellular sum representation with five-kilometer cellphone operation range.

The country astir Pyongyang is heavy covered, but notably, determination is wide sum astir each large North Korean cities.

This 2nd map, which includes large roads, shows however sum follows highways into the interior of the state and includes galore towns and villages.

Figure 5. Estimated North Korean cellular sum representation with five-kilometer cellphone operation scope and large roads.

Actual sum is astir surely greater than what is presently depicted, arsenic determination are astir surely further basal stations that person not yet been identified. Further attempts to representation the web volition proceed arsenic further sources go available.

Looking Ahead

While the country’s existent 3G web provides basal telephony, information speeds are good beneath what is communal successful astir parts of the world.

At the Eighth Party Congress successful January 2021, Kim Jong Un called connected the country’s telecommunications assemblage to “step up the method updating of its infrastructure and crook mobile communications into the next-generation ones arsenic aboriginal arsenic possible.”

State media has been quiescent connected however specified a feat mightiness beryllium accomplished. With the struggles of Orascom inactive caller successful memory, and sanctions connected the import of goods, it seems improbable that North Korea volition beryllium capable to unafraid different overseas telecommunications institution to supply a much precocious web for the foreseeable future.

Instead, the state mightiness beryllium looking towards nationalist Wi-Fi networks.

In 2017, the Mirae web was acceptable up successful Pyongyang. It offers speeds of astatine slightest 33 Mbps, according to North Korean media. That’s astir 10 times faster than the 3G network. A caller report said it had been extended beyond the superior to astatine slightest Pyongsong and Nampho.

North Korean media has besides talked astir a 2nd web called Ullim, which appears to beryllium Wi-Fi based, but precise small is known astir it.

Conclusion

North Korea continues to rotation retired mobile telecommunications exertion to its radical but keeps adjacent power implicit what the radical tin bash with it. The state has a batch to summation from deploying this technology, particularly successful a federation wherever astatine slightest immoderate telephone calls are inactive patched done by hand.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the nationalist intranet and a home video conferencing strategy called Rakwon meant North Koreans could proceed to clasp meetings contempt COVID-19 restrictions. And for individuals, conscionable the quality to marque and person calls and messages connected the determination tin mean a much businesslike life.

However, nary of these benefits are absolute. The authorities continues to show home communications and has the quality to cod information via these networks, which tin perchance beryllium utilized against individuals successful the future. Moreover, restrictions connected accusation access—a cardinal quality right—have accrued during the pandemic years, expanding punishments for unauthorized communications and consumption.