In 2006, ITU's Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) celebrated the 100th anniversary of the ITU Radio Regulations. In 1906, the first International Radiotelegraph Convention was signed in Berlin, establishing the principle of compulsory intercommunication between vessels at sea and the land. The annex to this Convention contained the world’s first set of service regulations on the use of radio. These regulations, which have since been expanded and revised by numerous radio conferences, are now known as the Radio Regulations.
Anniversary celebration
On 30 October 2006, ITU-R commemorated the centenary of the Radio Regulations with a ceremony held during the opening of the biennial Radiocommunication Seminar. Honorary guests included representatives of the original 27 Member State that signed the 1906 Convention. Retired officials and staff of the Radiocommunication Bureau, former CCIR and former IFRB were also invited in recognition of their contribution to the 100-year history of the Radio Regulations. Keynote addresses were given by then ITU Vice Secretary-General, Mr. Roberto Blois, and then Director of the Radiocommunication Bureau, Mr. Valery Timofeev, followed by presentations by industry executives that looked forward to the next 100 years.
