According to Japan-based newspaper Choson Sinbo, North Korean cellco CHEO Technology has signed up 20,000 subscribers on its 3G network. The report stated that the figures include citizens from other countries allowed to work in North Korea. The company launched services in December 2008 in the capital Pyongyang, but the network has since been expanded to include the main road running up to the northern city of Hyangsan, with national coverage expected by 2012. According to TeleGeography’s GlobalComms database, CHEO Technology is owned by Orascom Telecom Holding of Egypt (75%) and state-owned Korea Post and Telecoms Corporation (25%). The company was awarded a 25-year licence to operate 3G services in January 2008, with the first four years on an exclusive basis. CHEO began accepting applications in January 2009 and within its first two weeks had attracted over 6,000 subscribers.
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