North Korea has suspended rental of mobile phones to foreign visitors since January, visitors to the country said Monday, a move that may reflect concern in the North over the flow of information about democracy demonstrations sweeping the Middle East.

But some visitors quoted North Korean officials as saying the country unofficially decided to suspend the service late last year because of a change in the communications system.

As of today, North Korea’s official media has yet to report on the situation in the Middle East, including the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Pyongyang is believed to be wary of the inflow and circulation of information from abroad that may lead to a call for regime-change in the country, prompting speculation the suspension of the mobile phone rental service may last for a long time.

North Korea bans foreign visitors, including diplomats, from bringing mobile phones into the country.

North Korean authorities routinely seize foreign visitors’ mobile phones at Pyongyang airport or elsewhere and return them as they leave the country.

Until last year, foreign visitors were allowed to rent mobile phones capable of making international calls, but recent visitors quoted North Korean officials as saying the country has restricted rentals to foreign residents only since January.

North Korea began mobile phone rentals for foreigners in late 2008 through investments by Orascom Telecom Holding SAE, an Egyptian company that provides mobile phone service in the North in a joint venture with Korea Posts and Telecomm Corp.

The rental phones for foreigners cannot be connected to more than 600,000 handsets of domestic users, while domestic users cannot make international calls.