Communication breakdown: Kim Jong Il. Photograph: AP
With the levels of mobile phone ownership at record highs in the UK, most of us take ownership of a phone for granted. Even when you travel around less wealthy places around the world, the mobile is everywhere - and much more important to many people than computers or internet access.
But some places are still a dead zone for the mobile. We've seen recently how the Burmese junta closed down communications, but one prime example is North Korea, where the repressive regime bans mobiles and sends teams to patrol the border with China and catch those who try to use phones illegally.
This snippet from military news website Strategy Page has more:
North Korean police have increased the use of German cell phone signal detectors, to find and arrest those illegally using cell phones near the Chinese border.
It is possible to get a signal there, and the government sees this as a major security leak. People can say whatever they want using Chinese cell phone service, and the government is determined to stop this phone traffic.
There are believed to be dozens of the German detectors in use, with teams (consisting of several dozen secret police agents) moving through neighborhoods and hauling away those found with cell phones.
Many North Koreans who use mobiles to contact the outside world bury them near the border and make calls at prearranged times (here's an illuminating piece from a couple of years ago). It's sobering stuff.
