Call me, comrade: the surprise rise of North Korean smartphones

contentjunkie (73)in #news • 6 years ago

From NKNews

2018 marks the tenth year that cellphones have been legally available in North Korea. The number of users has been growing significantly since then, but overall use remains low: according to the country’s state-run Sogwang outlet in January, more than 3.5 million – out of a population of 25 million – have mobile subscriptions.
“We started providing the 3G service in December 2008, so this year marks the 10th year of the service,” Han Jong Nye, from the Arirang Information and Technology Center in Future Scientist Street in Pyongyang, was quoted as having said in Sogwang in January. “The demand for mobile phones is growing larger and larger.”

Though the exact subscription number remains a subject of debate, some experts believe that the number of mobile subscription has increased close to 5 million, according to research conducted by the North-East Asia Community ICT Forum, with approximately 40% of the population using smartphones.

“People are attracted by the new and various features of our smartphones such as text messages, address book, and voice recognition as well as design and color,” Han said in the Sogwang report.

“Demand for mobile phones is growing larger and larger.”

I'm so confused about the living standards in North Korea. The media has painted a picture in my mind of a desolate place where all the people are starving. Yet I also see stories like this showing a growing smart phone industry. I wonder if a communications network for the people will be the long term downfall of the regime as people are able to communicate.