NORTH KOREAN 3G. Picture of the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum's main monument. Photo by Hanneke Vermeulen off Wikipedia.

MANILA, Philippines - North Korea will soon open up use of mobile 3G services for foreign visitors.

Koryolink, North Korea's mobile operator, will launch a 3G mobile Internet service before March 1, according to an Associated Press report.

This follows telecommunications regulations changes that allowed foreign visitors to bring their own devices into the country.

While foreigners living or visiting the country will be able to use the service for a fee, North Korean residents have a separate set of telecommunications rules. These rules restrict them to only the use of "certain 3G services, such as SMS and MMS messaging, video calls and subscriptions to the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper."

The general ability to use cellular phones or cellular services in North Korea is not an inexpensive venture. Basic Huawei phones cost US$150 in the country, with SIM cards for phones selling at $70. Calls abroad can range from $0.50 (0.38 euro) a minute to Switzerland and France to $6.60 (5 euros) per minute for calls to the US.

Calls to South Korea are prohibited. - Rappler.com