SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea is getting a state-of-the art mobile phone network courtesy of an Egyptian telecoms giant, raising questions about who will be making calls in a country where the vast majority of people are prohibited from using cell phones.

Orascom Telecom Chief Executive Naguib Sawiris arrived in the capital Pyongyang today, the North's state news agency reported, adding in a later dispatch that he met Premier Kim Yong Il for a "friendly talk."

Cairo-based Orascom Telecom Holding has been building the network after announcing a $400 million deal in January. The company said it was officially launching the third generation mobile service.

Orascom runs networks in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia and has not shied from investing in places considered challenging and politically unpredictable, such as Zimbabwe.

It was not clear what controls, if any, would be imposed on the network, which will provide phone service and data capability in one the world's poorest and tightly ruled countries.

North Koreans have found ways to make calls illicitly, such as using networks in neighboring China.