ITU History HISTORY On 24 May 1844 Samuel Morse sent his first public message over a telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore, thus ushering in the communication age. Barely ten years later telegraphy had become available to the general public. At this period, however, telegraph lines did not cross national frontiers because each country used a different system and each had its own telegraph code to safeguard the secrecy of its military and political telegraph messages. Messages had to be transcribed, translated and handed over at frontiers before being retransmitted over the telegraph network of the neighbouring country. It is not surprising, therefore, that countries decided to conclude agreements to interconnect their national networks. Each link required numerous agreements (for example, no less than 15 agreements were needed for the telegraph link between the Prussian capital and the frontier localities bordering the other German States with a view to obtaining the right to construct lines across them). The States then concluded bilateral or regional agreements governing telegraph relations between the contracting countries. In 1864, for example, there were several regional conventions including agreements providing for the interconnection of networks between the various groups. In view of the expansion of telegraph networks in an increasing number of countries and the growth in the use being made of this extraordinary communication tool, 20 European States decided to meet in order to work out a framework agreement. They also decided on common rules to standardize equipment in order to guarantee generalized interconnection, adopted uniform operating instructions which had hitherto been different from one country to another and layed down common international tariff and accounting rules. On 17 May 1865 after two and a half months of arduous negotiations, the first International Telegraph Convention was signed by the 20 participating countries and the International Telegraph Union was set up to enable subsequent amendments to this initial agreement to be agreed upon. This marked the birth of the ITU. Today, nearly 130 years later, the reasons which led to the establishment of the Union still apply and the fundamental objectives of the organization are basically unchanged. Since that time, telecommunications have continued to develop apace and the history of the ITU fully reflects the advances which have been made. Following the invention of the telephone in 1876 and the subsequent expansion of telephony, the Telegraph Union began, in 1885, to draw up international legislation governing telephony. With the invention in 1896 of wireless telegraphy - the first type of radiocommunication - and the utilization of this new technique, particularly for maritime purposes, it was decided to convene a preliminary radio conference in 1903 to study the question of international regulations for radiotelegraph communications; at the International Radiotelegraph Conference held in 1906, the first International Radiotelegraph Convention was signed. The annex to this Convention contained the first regulations governing wireless telegraphy; these regulations, which have since been amended and revised by numerous radioconferences held throughout the years, are now known as the Radio Regulations. The year 1920 saw the beginning of sound broadcasting at the improvised studios of the Marconi Company. In 1927 the International Radio Consultative Committee (CCIR) was established. The International Telephone Consultative Committee (CCIF) set up in 1924, the International Telegraph Consultative Committee (CCIT) set up in 1925, and the CCIR were made responsible for coordinating the technical studies, tests and measurements being carried out in the various fields of telecommunications and for drawing up international standards. The CCIs thus became involved in the preparation of the Union's regulatory conferences at which international agreements governing all types of telecommunications were concluded. In 1927, the Union allocated frequency bands to the various radio services existing at the time (fixed, maritime and aeronautical mobile, broadcasting, amateur and experimental) to ensure greater efficiency of operation in view of the increase in the number of services using frequencies and the technical peculiarities of each service. At the 1932 Madrid Conference, the Union decided to combine the International Telegraph Convention of 1865 and the lnternational Radiotelegraph Convention of 1906 to form the International Telecommunication convention. It also decided to change its name and was known as from 1 January 1934 as the International Telecommunication Union in order to reaffirm the full scope of its responsibilities, i.e. all forms of communication, by wire, radio, optical systems or other electromagnetic systems. In 1947, after the Second World War, the ITU held a conference with the aim of developing and modernizing the organization. Under an agreement with the United Nations, it became a specialized agency of the United Nations on 15 October 1947 and the conference decided that the headquarters of the organization should be transferred in 1948 from Bern, where it had been established in 1868, to Geneva; the International Frequency Registration Board (IFRB) was set up to manage the frequency spectrum which was becoming increasingly complicated and the Table of Frequency Allocations, introduced in 1912, became mandatory. This Table allocates to each service using radio waves (there are about 40 at the present time) specific frequency bands with a view to avoiding interference between stations - in communications between aircraft and control towers, car telephones, ships at sea and coast stations, radio stations or spacecraft and earth-based stations. In 1956, the CCIT and the CCIF were amalgamated to give rise to the International Telephone and Telegraph Consultative Committee (CCITT) in order to respond more effectively to the requirements generated by the development of these two types of communication. The following year was marked by the launching of the first artificial satellite, SPUTNIK 1, which inaugurated the space age. The first geostationary satellite was orbited in 1963 in pursuance of the suggestion made in 1945 by Arthur C. Clarke to use satellites for the transmission of information: together with radio-relay systems and submarine cables, these satellites now constitute the main means of long-distance communication. In order to meet the challenges of the space age, the CCIR set up a Study Group responsible for studying space radiocommunication in 1959 and an Extraordinary Administrative Conference for space communications was held in 1963 to allocate frequencies to the various space services. Closer to the present time, in 1989, a Plenipotentiary Conference held in Nice recognized the importance of placing technical assistance to the developing countries on the same footing within the ITU as the traditional activities of coordination, standardization and international regulation and set up a Telecommunications Development Bureau (BDT) to step up the efforts being made for development in the Third World. The Bureau began its activities at the beginning of 1990. Each major innovation in the field of telecommunications is thus matched by specific action on the part of the Union to integrate new discoveries into the world network and to provide the necessary resources to respond more effectively to the expectations of Member States. However, the rapid, even exponential, growth of telecommunications has given rise to a whole series of new problems which face the Union with new challenges. The work of the Union is becoming increasingly complex while the time available for devising adequate solutions is shrinking. At the same time, the changes taking place in the Member States of the ITU are affecting the working of the Union: - techniques are liable to be outstripped by technological developments before they have reached the market, the requirements of service providers and users are increasing all the time and are becoming more and more sophisticated, and legal, economic and technical structures are undergoing fundamental changes which differ from one country to another - the number of Member States has increased nine-fold in nearly 130 years, proof, if it were needed, of the universality of telecommunications and the role of the Union but also an indication of the new challenges facing a Union of sovereign States with a wide variety of national environments, requirements, priorities and resources - telecommunications have become an international market characterized by harsh competition. The time is gone when a few major manufacturers dominated geographically limited markets, often protected at the national level In the area of telecommunications, new trends are emerging: globalization, deregulation, restructuring, value added network services, convergence (of services as well as technologies), intelligent networks and regional arrangements. Telecommunications have become a key ingredient in the transborder delivery of many non-telecommunication services such as banking, tourism, transportation as well as consultancy and information services of various types. This development has led to the transformation of telecommunications from its earlier status of a public utility to one having a greater nexus with commerce and trade. In the changing world of telecommunications new players are constantly appearing on the international scene. The traditional role of telecommunications is being transformed every day with new service dimensions. Against this background, it seemed inevitable that the ITU was to move as well. The new environment into which the ITU is now working is entirely different from that which existed when it was set up. This clearly created a need for self-evaluation of the Union's structures, its operation, its organization, its working methods and the resources allocated to enable it to achieve its objectives. To carry out this evaluation, the 1989 Plenipotentiary Conference decided to establish a committee of experts. It was however be up to a Plenipotentiary Conference to decide, in the light of the Committee's recommendations, on the structural and operating changes which were needed to enable the ITU to serve the international telecommunications community more effectively and to meet its requirements. The Conference took place in December 1992. It remodelled the ITU with the aim of giving it a new lease of life by adapting it to the more complex, interactive and competitive environment of today's - and tomorrow's - world. Adapting the ITU to today's evolving environment The ITU has evolved and adapted its structure and mandate over nearly 130 years to better serve its constituency and meet their requirements. Today, the Union is at a crossroad of its history: it has become imperative to adapt its structure, functioning, management practices and working methods to respond better to the changing nature of the telecommunication environment and particularly, to respond to the challenge posed by the greater dynamism, creativity and competitivity of a number of new partners. These fundamental changes are also necessary to meet in a more cost-effective way the constant growth in volume and complexity of the tasks to be performed by the Union. The push of technology coupled with the pull of demand has initiated an evolutionary pressure for adaptation which is being experienced more and more intensively by its Members. For these reasons, a High-Level Committee, established by the 1989 Plenipotentiary Conference, has drawn up a series of wide- ranging recommendations which served as a basis for proposals made by ITU Members at the extraordinary Plenipotentiary Conference held in Geneva from 7 to 22 December 1992. The Conference decided on the scope and timing of structural changes and associated functioning thus paving the way for the Union to move forward into the next millennium... just a decade away!