North Korea launches first 3G network

Before you complain for the nth time about how your local carrier’s 3G service sucks, is often unreliable and generally useless, consider this: North Korea didn’t have a 3G network until this week. No kidding.

Orascom Telecom in Cairo, Egypt, has helped greatly in accelerating the local launch of Cheo Technology’s North Korean 3G network. Cheo Technology is a joint-venture company that Orascom holds a 75 percent share in. The rest is held by the state-run Korea Posts and Telecommunications Corp. or KPTC.

Cheo has been given a 25-year license to run their WCDMA network, during the first five years of which they won’t be obligated to pay any taxes. Also, for the first four years, Cheo has exclusive rights to operate their cell phone service.

This 3G network launch is very much in line with the decision of South Korea to scrap WIPI in order to let foreign players enter the local mobile phone and services market. The people behind this new 3G network no doubt have big plans for it, but at the moment, it is unknown how much their service costs, and who are eligible to use it.

Via PC World

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Posted on 15 Dec 08 - Filed in Software&Services, Wireless - Comments - Written by David Gonzales

  • people from CHN
    do u know anything happend in china?? The north korea's brother(at least most chinese think so).
    they still don't have any 3g service.
    It is such a jok.
  • There's nothing to be very surprised about the lack of 3G network. The list countries lacking or at least until very recently lacking 3G networks included China, India, Russia and half of South America.
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