110th anniversary of the ITU Radio Regulations (1906-2016) - #RR110

The ITU is celebrating this year the 110th anniversary of the Radio Regulations, a success story of international cooperation among Members States with the inestimable support of telecommunication industry partners.

Description

International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs.

ITU manages the radio spectrum and satellite orbits resources, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.

The growing complexity of our information society, where ubiquitous wireless systems make our life easier and more sophisticated is reliant on the process to update the Radio Regulations, which is based on consensus building within our membership.

The ITU is celebrating this year the 110th anniversary of the Radio Regulations, a success story of international cooperation among Members States with the inestimable support of telecommunication industry partners.

History

ITU's history is closely linked to the development of radiocommunications. The crucial role wireless systems are playing in the efficient and timely deployment of communications infrastructure is key in the efforts being undertaken by the global community to bridge the digital divide and in helping the world communicate.

In 1906 the first International Radiotelegraph Conference gathered 29 states in Berlin to sign the ´International Radiotelegraph Convention´ establishing the principle of compulsory intercommunication between vessels at sea and the land.

The annex to this Convention contained the first regulations governing wireless telegraphy. These regulations, which have since been expanded and revised by numerous radio conferences, are now known as the Radio Regulations.

Our Mission

The mission of the ITU Radiocommunication Sector is to ensure rational, equitable, efficient and economical use of the radio-frequency spectrum by all radiocommunication services, including those using satellite orbits, and to carry out studies and adopt recommendations on radiocommunication matters.

Our mission lies within the broader framework of the purposes of ITU, as defined in Article 1 of the ITU Constitution and is, in particular, to "maintain and extend international cooperation among all the Member States of the Union for the improvement and rational use of telecommunications of all kinds".

Resources

WRC-15 Final Acts
The Final Acts constitute a record of the decisions taken at WRC-15 that comprises both the new and revised provisions of the Radio Regulations.
Radio Regulations
The Radio Regulations incorporate the decisions of the World Radiocommunication Conferences, including all Appendices, Resolutions, Recommendations and ITU-R Recommendations incorporated by reference.
FAQ on Radio Regulations