Advertisement

Demand for mobile phones in North Korea means two per household

The state has lowered the basic monthly fee of mobile phones in order to increase the pool of subscribers, according to a source.

By Elizabeth Shim
Young North Korean women using their phones in a Pyongyang subway station. Smartphones in North Korea can cost around $400, a price that is out of reach for many in the reclusive state. File photo by Yonhap
Young North Korean women using their phones in a Pyongyang subway station. Smartphones in North Korea can cost around $400, a price that is out of reach for many in the reclusive state. File photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, July 1 (UPI) -- The mobile phone is becoming a central component of everyday life for many North Koreans, but phone users who deplete the four hours of free calls and 20 text messages that come with a new basic call plan face prohibitive costs.

A source inside North Korea recently told Radio Free Asia the state has lowered the basic monthly fee of mobile phones in order to increase the pool of subscribers, South Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Sinmun reported.

Advertisement

There is a catch: The affordable rate applies only within the designated number of hours and texts.

Once the free minutes are used up, the cost skyrockets – a problem that North Korean users have partly solved by using two cellular phones per household, according to South Korea media outlet Newsis.

The low-price strategy has worked so far and subscriptions are up, according to Radio Free Asia's source at Pyongyang's telecommunications agency.

North Korea's version of the highly popular smartphone is sought after, but can be extremely expensive.

The latest smartphone models cost more than $400 in North Korea, and are a luxury for the few and the privileged, as well as for a rising class of traders profiting from the country's gray market.

Advertisement

For North Korean phone users who run out of minutes, it is common, said a source in North Hamkyong province, to keep two phones in the household.

The second phone is typically an older model without the smartphone capabilities and can be purchased for less than $50.

North Koreans on the road use the phones frequently – possibly to sell wares around the country and send messages back home while away, said the source. On the basic plan, two phones mean eight hours of free calls.

In 2014, North Korea said it had lowered phone plans for professionals working in the communications industry.

Latest Headlines