North Korea set to offer cell phones selectively

A few North Koreans soon will be connected by mobile phone. A source in China said Monday that trial call service conducted in Pyeongyang in August was successful.

"North Korea recently selected GSM to provide mobile phone service in Pyeongyang," a well-informed source in Beijing said. "Service will soon be available throughout the North Korean capital." GSM, or Global System for Mobile Communications, is a European digital communications standard North Korea had already adopted for use in the free trade zone of Rajin-Seonbong in North Hamgyeong province.

"When I visited Pyeongyang last month, I asked my North Korean guide to rent a cell phone," the source said. "I leased a phone for $80; I picked up the phone at an outlet of the Ministry of Communications."

The source added, "Only North Korean government and party officials, foreign diplomats and UN staff in Pyeongyang will be given permission to use cell phones," the source said. "Overseas calls will be blocked."

A joint venture set up by Thailand's Loxley Public Co., Ltd. and North Korea has built four base antenna stations in Pyeongyang.

North Korea consulted with South Korea in June on introducing Code Division Multiple Access, the wireless standard used here, but the plan never took off due to U.S. barriers to exports to the North. Qualcomm, a U.S. firm, owns the key patents for CDMA technology.

by Ko Soo-suk