An Egyptian telecoms firm has launched the first high-tech mobile phone network in North Korea. Orascom Telecom says it's investing $400m in the service. But as Steve Jackson reports, it's unclear who will be able to use it:

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North Korea opened its own basic mobile network in 2002, but banned the vast majority of its citizens and most foreigners from using it, allowing access only to senior government officials.

The new network will be able to provide fast internet connections and handle large quantities of information. But that is a commodity the North Korean authorities have been extremely anxious to restrict. Radios and televisions sold there have their tuning controls fixed to official stations, and making phone calls out of North Korea is impossible for ordinary citizens.

Some reports suggest that handsets for the new network will cost around seven-hundred dollars each, making them far too expensive for the vast majority of people in a country where millions struggle to find enough food to eat.

Steve Jackson, BBC

Listen to the words

eyebrows were raised
many people were surprised

a joint venture
a business enterprise where two or more companies or organisations take part, sharing the initial investment, risks and profits (often they are from different countries)

launched
officially opened/started

allowing access
giving the opportunity to use it, making available

handle
process, deal with, transmit

a commodity
any item that can be sold and bought (in this case, a service)

extremely anxious to restrict
very eager/keen to make unavailable to most people

have their tuning controls fixed to
cannot be re-tuned to watch or listen to stations other than

handsets
a handset is the part of any telephone that is held in the hand and used for speaking into and listening

struggle
here, find it very difficult

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