The first International Radiotelegraph Convention was signed in Berlin in 1906, and the annex to this Convention contained the world’s first set of service regulations on the use of radio. Now known as the Radio Regulations, the legal and technical provisions of this document have since been expanded and revised by numerous radio conferences in order to keep in step with the ever-expanding use of radio. In stark contrast to the original 12-page document of 1906, the 2008 edition of the Radio Regulations applies to frequencies ranging from 9 kHz to 1000 GHz and incorporates over 2000 pages of information describing how the frequency spectrum may be used and shared by more than 40 different services around the world. The Radio Regulations have the status of an international treaty and are binding on ITU Member States.
The purpose of the Radio Regulations is to ensure interference-free operations of radiocommunication systems and to provide ITU Member States with equitable access to the radio spectrum. They contain general rules for the assignment and use of frequencies and the associated orbital positions for space stations and include a Table of Frequency Allocations for the various radio services (inter alia radio broadcasting, television, radio astronomy, navigation aids, point-to-point service, maritime mobile, amateur). The regulations also deal with ways of avoiding harmful interference and contain various other provisions, such as those relating to the qualifications required for
station operators, and the nature and contents of essential documents for international radio service.
The Radio Regulations are written and updated by ITU Member States through a procedure of negotiation based on the principles of multilateral cooperation and agreement. At the heart of this process are ITU’s World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRCs). These meetings, which normally take place every two to four years, address issues related to all aspects of radiocommunication services including the revision of the Radio Regulations. Regional and national preparatory work done in the period between conferences contributes to an important harmonisation of national positions, and most decisions at WRCs are subsequently taken by consensus.
The implementation of the Radio Regulations is supported by the ITU Radiocommunication Bureau (BR).
For more information on the history of the Radio Regulations, please refer to these articles:
Click HERE to access the complete list of Radio Regulations.