UMTS for North Korea.

North Korea has a mobile network of third-generation into operation. Who under what conditions the fast data transmission may use, remains unclear. Without special permission for North Koreans threatening phone possession even the death penalty.
  The most reliable source for information on the UMTS launch in North Korea is currently the company, which has built the network and also for the operation is responsible. These are the totally unknown here Orascom Telecom of Egypt.
The company is part of a holding, inter alia, also operates in construction, and one of the leading telecommunication companies in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Orascom operates GSM networks in numerous countries and is a further expansion endeavors, resulting in a large number of frequently changing investments reflected.
What is clear is the issue of mobile phone in North Korea really only that the activity is forbidden. Special permission will only senior representatives of the regime. Without may even possess a mobile phone with the death penalty sanctioned. There are even reports that caught the public mobile phone owners were shot to deter imitators. In the border area with China, where Chinese networks offer reception, the thriving mobile telephony, however, anyway.
Orascom has joined forces with North Korea and obviously the only state postal and telecommunications companies the joint venture Cheo Technology JV Co. was founded in which Orascom 75 percent of the shares. Cheo beginning of the year received a UMTS license for all of North Korea. Orascom said, in 2010 a total of 400 million U.S. dollars in the project to want to invest. How much of the infrastructure, operation or royalties represent, in turn, remains unclear.
Ruin as mobile phone mast
In May, just a few months after licensing, Orascom said then that the first parts of the infrastructure already installed and tested successfully were. In July the company announced, the ruins of the hotel as Ryugyong mast cell phone use. The highest house Pyongyang is located in the body shop since 1992 and will probably never be finished. Earlier this week, the UMTS network finally put into operation as planned, it will be next to Pyongyang and all other major cities cover.
IN COOPERATION WITH ... de BugMagazin for electronic Lebensaspektewww.de-bug.deVöllig is unclear who the fast data transmission rates to exploit what may. In announcing the deal North Korea had not yet declared Orascom, to include the operation of the broadcasting network with 100,000 users expected.
As far as it was, gave the company, however, to detail all the issues covered again. According to Radio Free Asia to mobile phones cost 700 U.S. dollars, bringing the audience is extremely limited anyway.
A special absurdity arises also from the prehistory of the UMTS network: The first and so far the only mobile network in the country was operating in 2002, but was already one and a half years later, again off. As a cause for the back is always the fear of the regime before called espionage. If this is true, is to reboot into the mobile era completely baffling. For a fast UMTS data is much better at spying than the disconnected GSM network, the only phone calls and text messages allowed.