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. By 1970 automatic switching facilities were in use in Pyongyang, Sinŭiju, Hamhŭng, and Hyesan.
North Korea joined the Universal Postal Union in 1974 but has direct postal arrangements with only a select group of countries. ==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 (300 kilometers) was installed in September 1995.
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.
The construction was completed in 2007. 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.
A satellite communications center was installed in Pyongyang in 1986 with French technical support.
and in late 1989 international direct dialing service through microwave link was introduced from Hong Kong.
A few public telephone booths were beginning to appear in Pyongyang around 1990.
An agreement to share in Japan's telecommunications satellites was reached in 1990.
One estimate placed the total number of television sets in use in the early 1990s at 250,000 sets.
North Korea joined the Universal Postal Union in 1974 but has direct postal arrangements with only a select group of countries. ==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 (300 kilometers) was installed in September 1995.
North Korea joined the Universal Postal Union in 1974 but has direct postal arrangements with only a select group of countries. ==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 (300 kilometers) was installed in September 1995.
In 1997 there were 3.36 million radio sets. ==Internet== ===National area network=== Kwangmyong is a North Korean "walled garden" national intranet opened in 2000.
Communications were opened with South Korea in 2000.
In 1997 there were 3.36 million radio sets. ==Internet== ===National area network=== Kwangmyong is a North Korean "walled garden" national intranet opened in 2000.
Internet access is provided by TransTelekom, a subsidiary of Russian national railway operator Russian Railways. North Korea's first Internet café opened in 2002 as a joint venture with South Korean Internet company Hoonnet.
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.
In 2005 a new Internet café opened in Pyongyang, connected not through China, but through the North Korean satellite link.
On 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.
The construction was completed in 2007. 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.
This link ended the need to dial ISPs in China. In 2007 North Korea successfully applied at ICANN for the .kp country code top-level domain (ccTLD).
North Korea has not fully adopted mainstream Internet technology due to its isolationist policies. ==Telephone== North Korea has an adequate telephone system, with 1.18 million fixed lines available in 2008.
KCC Europe administered the domain from Berlin, and also hosted a large number of websites . 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.
There has been a large demand for the service since it was launched. In May 2010, more than 120,000 North Koreans owned mobile phones; this number had increased to 301,000 by September 2010, 660,000 by August 2011, and 900,000 by December 2011.
Orascom reported 432,000 North Korean subscribers after two years of operation (December 2010), increasing to 809,000 by September 2011, and exceeding one million by February 2012.
There has been a large demand for the service since it was launched. In May 2010, more than 120,000 North Koreans owned mobile phones; this number had increased to 301,000 by September 2010, 660,000 by August 2011, and 900,000 by December 2011.
Orascom reported 432,000 North Korean subscribers after two years of operation (December 2010), increasing to 809,000 by September 2011, and exceeding one million by February 2012.
By 2015 the figure had grown to three million. In 2011, 60% of Pyongyang's citizens between the age of 20 and 50 had a cellphone.
On June 15, 2011, StatCounter.com confirmed that some North Koreans use Apple's iPhones, as well as Nokia's and Samsung's smartphones. In November 2020, no mobile phones could dial into or out of the country, and there was no Internet connection.
Orascom reported 432,000 North Korean subscribers after two years of operation (December 2010), increasing to 809,000 by September 2011, and exceeding one million by February 2012.
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.
By April 2013 subscriber numbers neared two million.
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.
Content is most likely filtered by North Korean government agencies. Since February 2013, foreigners have been able to access the internet using the 3G phone network. ==Access to foreign media== "A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment", a study commissioned by the U.S.
By 2015 the figure had grown to three million. In 2011, 60% of Pyongyang's citizens between the age of 20 and 50 had a cellphone.
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. In August 2016, it was reported that North Korea had launched a state-approved video streaming service which has been likened to Netflix.
Internet access, however, is only available to resident foreigners and not tourists. North Korean mobile phones use a digital signature system to prevent access to unsanctioned files, and log usage information that can be physically inspected. A survey in 2017 found that 69% of households had a mobile phone. In September 2019 a previously unknown company Kwangya Trading Company (광야무역회사의) announced the release of a cell phone for North Korean consumer use called the Kimtongmu.
A study in 2017 found that 98% of households had a TV set. ==Radio== Visitors are not allowed to bring a radio.
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. In August 2016, it was reported that North Korea had launched a state-approved video streaming service which has been likened to Netflix.
The satellite link was phased out in favour of the fiber connection and is currently only used as a backup line. In October 2017 a large scale DDoS attack on the main China connection led to a second Internet connection taken into service.
The state TV channel Korean Central Television (KCTV) described the service as a "respite from radio interference". In 2018, North Korea unveiled a new wi-fi service called Mirae ("Future"), which allowed mobile devices to access the intranet network in Pyongyang. 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.
Internet access, however, is only available to resident foreigners and not tourists. North Korean mobile phones use a digital signature system to prevent access to unsanctioned files, and log usage information that can be physically inspected. A survey in 2017 found that 69% of households had a mobile phone. In September 2019 a previously unknown company Kwangya Trading Company (광야무역회사의) announced the release of a cell phone for North Korean consumer use called the Kimtongmu.
On June 15, 2011, StatCounter.com confirmed that some North Koreans use Apple's iPhones, as well as Nokia's and Samsung's smartphones. In November 2020, no mobile phones could dial into or out of the country, and there was no Internet connection.
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