-
·
North Korea Gets A Folding Smartphone
A North Korean company is marketing a foldable smartphone—the first time such a phone has been seen promoted in-country. The handset was likely imported from a Chinese manufacturer and presents further evidence that North Korea’s smartphone market has been rapidly expanding since pandemic-era border restrictions were lifted. State media coverage of the annual “National Exhibition…
-
·
North Korea’s Kangsong is operating a 4G network
North Korea’s first 4G cellular service, which reportedly launched late last year in Pyongyang, has spread as far as the country’s southern border and is operated by Kangsong, the state-owned carrier. The 4G network, when available to users, will make possible new services and uses for the network due to the significantly faster data speeds…
-
·
North Korea upgrades its Android security, says report
A new report says smartphone users in North Korea were given until the end of 2023 to upgrade to a new version of the Android operating system or face confiscation of their phones.
-
·
Is 4G on the Horizon for North Korea?
North Korea could finally be getting a long-overdue upgrade to its 3G cellular network. A report says the country has begun importing used 4G networking equipment from Huawei and will launch the new network in major cities. Huawei supplied the current 3G network. The report comes a week after Korean Central Television broadcast a report…
-
·
New Satellite Could Provide Internet Access to North Korea…Someday
A new type of low-orbit satellite capable of connecting directly to smartphones could someday give North Koreans access to the uncensored internet.
-
·
What to make of the “North Korean Life” TikTok channel
A new social media account purporting to be from North Korea almost certainly isn’t. The “North Korean Life” channel appeared on TikTok over the weekend and quickly amassed 121,000 followers. At the time of writing, it had collected more than 2 million likes and 33 million views. The channel currently has 17 videos and claims…
-
·
New Android OS delayed in North Korea, says report
North Korean authorities have delayed a roll-out of a new operating system for Android smartphones.
-
·
Twenty Years of Mobile Communications in North Korea
Twenty years after the first cellular calls in North Korea, mobile phones have become a cornerstone of daily life and the country’s informal private economy.
-
·
Google at the Grand People’s Study House
The availability of Internet access at the Grand People’s Study House in Pyongyang has been known for many years. Tourists to the site have reported seeing it many times and Eric Schmidt, founder of Google, and his colleagues saw North Koreans accessing Google and the Cornell University websites when they visited in 2013, according to…
-
·
North Korea’s online IT exhibitions
North Korea has taken many science and technology events online as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The country typically hosts numerous technology conferences each year to showcase developments and give researchers a chance to exchange ideas and information. One of the biggest annual expos, the National Exhibition of IT Successes (전국정보화성과전람회) took place online…
