Telecommunications in North Korea
Telecommunications in North Korea refers to the communication services available in North Korea. North Korea has not fully adopted mainstream Internet technology due to some restrictions on foreign interventions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
History
Telephone usage
By 1970 automatic switching facilities were in use in Pyongyang, Sinŭiju, Hamhŭng, and Hyesan.
A few public telephone booths were beginning to appear in Pyongyang around 1990.<ref name="Savada1994" />
In the mid-1990s, an automated exchange system based on an E-10A system produced by Alcatel joint-venture factories in China was installed in Pyongyang.
North Koreans announced in 1997 that automated switching had replaced manual switching in Pyongyang and 70 other locales.<ref>Lee, 2003</ref>
Mobile phone usage
In November 2002, mobile phones were introduced to North Korea and by November 2003, 20,000 North Koreans had bought mobile phones.<ref>"World briefings: North Korea" Template:Webarchive, New York Times, June 4, 2004.</ref>
There was a ban on cell phones from 2004 to 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="bbc.co.uk">Dave Lee. (10 December 2012) North Korea: On the net in world's most secretive nation Template:Webarchive. Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved on 6 April 2013.</ref>
In December 2008, a new mobile phone service was launched in Pyongyang, operated by Egyptian company Orascom, but the North Korean government immediately expropriated control of the enterprise and its earnings.<ref>" N.Korea Stiffs Egyptian Telecom out of Earnings" Template:Webarchive, chosun.com, Nov 17, 2020.</ref>
In May 2010, more than 120,000 North Koreans owned mobile phones;<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> this number had increased to 301,000 by September 2010,<ref>Mobile phone subscriptions in N. Korea quadruple in one year: operator Template:Webarchive, YonhapNews, 9 November 2010</ref> 660,000 by August 2011,<ref>Orascom User Numbers Keep Rising Template:Webarchive, DailyNK, 11 August 2011</ref> and 900,000 by December 2011.<ref>Hamish McDonald (24 December 2011) Father knows best: son to maintain status quo Template:Webarchive, The Age.</ref>
Orascom reported 432,000 North Korean subscribers after two years of operation (December 2010),<ref name="orascom-2011Q1">Orascom Telecom Holding First Quarter 2011 Results Template:Webarchive, page 29 (accessed 20 May 2011)</ref> increasing to 809,000 by September 2011,<ref name="orascom-2011Q3">Orascom Telecom Holding Third Quarter 2011 Results Template:Webarchive, page 30 (accessed 28 April 2012)</ref> and exceeding one million by February 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By April 2013 subscriber numbers neared two million.<ref name="bbc-20130426">Template:Cite news</ref> By 2015 the figure had grown to three million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2011, 60% of Pyongyang's citizens between the age of 20 and 50 had a cellphone.<ref>Phone Handset Prices Fall as Users Rise Template:Webarchive, DailyNK, 20 May 2011</ref> That year, StatCounter.com confirmed that some North Koreans use Apple's iPhones, as well as Nokia's and Samsung's smartphones.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
A survey in 2017 found that 69% of households had a mobile phone.<ref name="Tackling North Korea's chronically poor sewage 'not rocket science': U.N. | Reuters">Template:Cite news</ref>
In November 2020, no mobile phones could dial into or out of the country, and there was no Internet connection. A 3G network covered 94 percent of the population, but only 14 percent of the territory.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>
In 2024, 38 North reported the number mobile phones models available had doubled since 2022, offering about 55 smartphone models generally with good mid-market specifications, some 4G, with at least 10 companies supplying them to consumers.
Television set usage
One estimate placed the total number of television sets in use in the early 1990s at 250,000 sets.<ref name="Savada1994" />
A study in 2017 found that 98% of households had a TV set.<ref name="Tackling North Korea's chronically poor sewage 'not rocket science': U.N. | Reuters" /> In 1997 there were 3.36 million radio sets.
National intranet usage
A survey in 2017 found that 19% of households had a computer, but that only 1% nationally and 5% in Pyongyang had access to the intranet.<ref name="Tackling North Korea's chronically poor sewage 'not rocket science': U.N. | Reuters" /> In 2018, it was estimated that 18-20% of the population had mobile phones with access to the intranet.<ref>Template:Usurped</ref>
International internet access
Before the fiber connection, international Internet access was limited to government-approved dial-up over land lines to China.
In 2003 a joint venture between businessman Jan Holterman in Berlin and the North Korean government called KCC Europe brought the commercial Internet to North Korea.
The connection was established through an Intelsat satellite link from North Korea to servers located in Germany. This link ended the need to dial ISPs in China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2009 Internet service provider Star Joint Venture Co., a joint venture between the North Korean government's Post and Telecommunications Corporation and Thailand-based Loxley Pacific, took control of North Korea's Internet and address allocation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The satellite link was phased out in favour of the fiber connection and is currently only used as a backup line.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Telephone
North Korea has an adequate telephone system, with 1.18 million fixed lines available in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, most phones are only installed for senior government officials.
Someone wanting a phone installed must fill out a form indicating their rank, why they want a phone, and how they will pay for it.<ref>French, Paul. North Korea: The Paranoid Peninsula – A Modern History.New York: Zed Books, 2007. 22. Print.</ref>
Most of these are installed in government offices, collective farms, and state-owned enterprises (SOEs), with only perhaps 10 percent controlled by individuals or households.
North Korean press reported in 2000 that fiber-optic cable had been extended to the port of Nampho and that North Pyong'an Province had been connected with fiber-optic cable.
Mobile phones
The official name of the 3G mobile phone service in North Korea is called Koryolink.
It is now effectively under the control of the state-owned Korea Post and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> There has been a large demand for the service since it was launched.<ref>http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk01500&num=5303 Template:Webarchive (accessed 18 November 2009)</ref>
Domestic models
Template:Main North Korean mobile phones use a digital signature system to prevent access to unsanctioned files, and log usage information that can be physically inspected.<ref name="38north-20170610">Template:Cite news</ref>
Smartphone apps such as mapping and navigation app Fellow Traveler are available.<ref name="38north-20240124">Template:Cite web</ref>
Although state-run media reports that the phones were developed by North Korean outlets, they are likely sourced rather from a Chinese OEM and outfitted with North Korean software.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Some of the functionality was limited in line with state control measures by a localized version of Android. None of the smartphones were domestically manufactured.
In a country of about 24 million people there are an estimated 6.5-7 million mobile subscriptions, with use of digital payment apps popular.<ref name="38north-20240924">Template:Cite web</ref>
International roaming
Koryolink has no international roaming agreements. Pre-paid SIM cards can be purchased by visitors to North Korea to make international (but not domestic) calls.
Prior to January 2013, foreigners had to surrender their phones at the border crossing or airport before entering the country, but with the availability of local SIM cards this policy is no longer in place.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Internet access, however, is only available to resident foreigners and not tourists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Television
Template:Main Template:FurtherBroadcasting in North Korea is tightly controlled by the state and is used as a propaganda arm of the ruling Korean Workers' Party.
The Korean Central Television station is located in Pyongyang, and there are also stations in major cities, including Chŏngjin, Hamhŭng, Haeju, Kaesŏng, Sinŭiju, Wŏnsan. There are four channels in Pyongyang but only one channel in other cities.
Imported Japanese-made color televisions have a North Korean brand name superimposed, but nineteen-inch black-and-white sets have been produced locally since 1980.
Radio
Visitors are not allowed to bring a radio.
As part of the government's information blockade policy, North Korean radios and televisions must be modified to receive only government stations.
When buying a TV set or a radio, North Korean citizens are required to register it with the state within 10 days. The apparatus also has to be inspected if this was not already done prior to sale.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Amnesty International, there exist "strict restrictions" on the types of radios and other appliances households can own.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
North Korea has two AM radio broadcasting networks, Template:Ill (Voice of Korea) and Korean Central Broadcasting Station, and one FM network, Template:Ill.
All three networks have stations in major cities that offer local programming. There is also a powerful shortwave transmitter for overseas broadcasts in several languages.<ref name="Savada1994">Template:Country study Fourth ed. Washington: Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Template:ISBN.</ref>
The official government station is the Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS), which broadcasts in Korean.
Internet
National area network
Kwangmyong is a North Korean "walled garden" national intranet<ref name="NYT011013">Template:Cite news</ref> opened in 2000.
It is accessible from within North Korea's major cities, counties, as well as universities and major industrial and commercial organizations, with 24-hour unlimited access by dial-up telephone line and by 3G and 4G mobile network.
Domestic services
Template:Main In August 2016, it was reported that North Korea had launched "Manbang" (meaning "everyone"), a state-approved video streaming service which has been likened to Netflix,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> to stream live TV, on-demand video and newspaper articles (from the state newspaper Rodong Sinmun) over the intranet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The service is only available to citizens in Pyongyang, Siniju and Sariwon. The state TV channel Korean Central Television (KCTV) described the service as a "respite from radio interference".<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2018, North Korea unveiled a new Wi-Fi service called Mirae ("Future"), which allowed mobile devices to access the intranet network in Pyongyang.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
During the COVID-19 pandemic the Rakwon video conferencing system, developed at Kim Il-sung University, became popular for remote meetings, and appeared regularly on news bulletins. Telemedicine and remote education systems have been developed.<ref name=38north-20210513>Template:Cite news</ref>
International internet access
Template:Main Template:See also North Korea's main connection to the international Internet is through a fiber-optic cable connecting Pyongyang with Dandong, China, crossing the China–North Korea border at Sinuiju. Internet access is provided by China Unicom.
In 2007 North Korea successfully applied at ICANN for the .kp country code top-level domain (ccTLD).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> KCC Europe administered the domain from Berlin, and also hosted a large number of websites.
In October 2017 a large scale DDoS attack on the main China connection led to a second Internet connection taken into service.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
This connects North Korea through a fiber optic cable with Vladivostok, crossing the Russia-North Korea border at Tumangang. Internet access is provided by TransTelekom, a subsidiary of Russian national railway operator Russian Railways.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Since February 2013, foreigners have been able to access the internet using the 3G phone network.<ref name=bbc-20130222>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=wp-20130226>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=guardian-20150623>Template:Cite news</ref>
In December 2023, North Korea started to deploy a 4G network using second-hand 4G networking equipment from Huawei.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Access to foreign media
"A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment", a study commissioned by the U.S. State Department and conducted by Intermedia and released May 10, 2012 shows that despite extremely strict regulations and draconian penalties North Koreans, particularly elite elements, have increasing access to news and other media outside the state-controlled media authorized by the government.
While access to the Internet is tightly controlled, radio and DVDs are common media accessed, and in border areas, television.<ref name="WPUSSTATE">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="IM">Template:Cite web</ref>
As of 2011, USB flash drives were selling well in North Korea, primarily used for watching South Korean dramas and films on personal computers.<ref name="asiasentinel-20120319">Template:Cite news</ref>
Internet cafes
North Korea's first Internet café opened in 2002 as a joint venture with South Korean Internet company Hoonnet. It is connected via a land line to China.
Foreign visitors can link their computers to the Internet through international phone lines available in a few hotels in Pyongyang.
In 2005 a new Internet café opened in Pyongyang, connected not through China, but through the North Korean satellite link. Content is most likely filtered by North Korean government agencies.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Postal services
North Korea joined the Universal Postal Union in 1974 but has direct postal arrangements with only a select group of countries.<ref name="Savada1994" /> The national postal operator is the North Korean postal service.
International connections
North Korea has had a varying number of connections to other nations. Currently, international fixed line connections consist of a network connecting Pyongyang to Beijing and Moscow, and Chongjin to Vladivostok.
Communications were opened with South Korea in 2000. In May 2006 TransTeleCom Company and North Korea's Ministry of Communications have signed an agreement for the construction and joint operation of a fiber-optic transmission line in the section of the Khasan–Tumangang railway checkpoint in the North Korea-Russia border. This is the first direct land link between Russia and North Korea.
TTC's partner in the design, construction, and connection of the communication line from the Korean side to the junction was Korea Communication Company of North Korea's Ministry of Communications.
The technology transfer was built around STM-1 level digital equipment with the possibility of further increasing bandwidth. The construction was completed in 2007.<ref>TransTeleCom is to build first land link with North Korea</ref>
Satellite connections
Since joining Intersputnik in 1984, North Korea has operated 22 lines of frequency-division multiplexing and 10 lines of single channel per carrier for communication with Eastern Europe.<ref>Yoon and Lee 2001</ref> and in late 1989 international direct dialing service through microwave link was introduced from Hong Kong.
A satellite ground station near Pyongyang provides direct international communications using the International Telecommunications Satellite Corporation (Intelsat) Indian Ocean satellite.
A satellite communications center was installed in Pyongyang in 1986 with French technical support. An agreement to share in Japan's telecommunications satellites was reached in 1990.
Fiber optic lines
Following the agreement with UNDP, the Pyongyang Fiber Optic Cable Factory was built in April 1992 and the country's first optical fiber cable network consisting of 480 pulse-code modulation (PCM) lines and 6 automatic exchange stations from Pyongyang to Hamhung (Template:Convert) was installed in September 1995.<ref>"Cable Production Base" "Naenara," Korea Today, No. 602 (8), 2006</ref>
Moreover, the nationwide land leveling and rezoning campaign initiated by Kim Jong-il in Kangwon province in May 1998<ref>History of Land Rezoning in the DPRK, KCNA, 11 May 2005</ref> and in North Pyongan province in January 2000<ref>Kim Jong Il, "Improving the Layout of the Fields Is a Great Transformation of Nature for the Prosperity and Development of the Country, a Patriotic Work of Lasting Significance,"Rodong Sinmun, 18 April 2000</ref> facilitated the construction of provincial and county fiber optic lines, which were laid by tens of thousands of Korean People's Army (KPA) soldier-builders and provincial shock brigade members mobilized for the large-scale public works projects designed to rehabilitate the hundreds of thousands of hectares of arable lands devastated by the natural disasters in the late 1990s.
See also
- Ullim
- Samjiyon tablet computer
- Red Star OS
- Naenara
- Censorship in North Korea
- Media of North Korea
- Radio jamming in Korea
- North Korean postal service
References
External links
- North Korea Uncovered Template:Webarchive, (North Korea Google Earth) See most of North Korea's communications facilities, including: The Korea Computer Center, the Pyongyang Television Tower, the KCBS tower, the major communications center in Heaju, as well as satellite communications stations near Pyongyang.