Every time you turn on your radio, hop on a plane, call home on your mobile phone or tune into a TV weather channel, you're using one of the vital services ITU helps coordinate worldwide. Since the beginning of the 20th century, ITU has taken the lead role in managing the growing global demand for radio frequency spectrum, negotiating the technical, operational and regulatory guidelines for the use of that spectrum, and coordinating the equitable and efficient use of satellite orbits. Its vital work continues to pave the way for telecommunications growth through the deployment of new and expanded services, which in turn generate further demand and capacity for new technologies.
 

Radiocommunication technology serves as the foundation for a huge range of increasingly vital services that most of us take for granted, including:

The ITU Radiocommunication Sector manages the global framework which enables these vital services to work around the globe, ensuring equitable access and efficient and economical use of the radio frequency spectrum. With demand for radio-based services growing exponentially, this framework addresses the needs of a fast-changing world — a major challenge, as new wireless and satellite services clamour for increasingly scarce spectrum and orbit resources.

ITU has responded to the surge in demand for information and communication technologies (ICTs), particularly for mobile communications, and to the increasingly competitive operating environment for equipment vendors, telcos and satellite operators, by significantly expanding its range of responsibilities. Today, ITU helps:

ITU continually updates the Master International Frequency Register, to ensure that each radio frequency use by a particular country is centrally registered to avoid possible interference with services of other countries. The Register currently includes:

The simple updating of this register is a massive task, given the constant growth in radiocommunications services and the need to ensure that any new addition does not create harmful interference to any use already registered.
 

The global use and management of radio frequencies and satellite orbits requires a high degree of international cooperation. ITU fosters this cooperation through its Member States, in order to update and adapt the Radio Regulations, an extensive international treaty that governs the use of the radio spectrum for some 40 different services around the world.

The Radio Regulations cover everything from fixed and mobile communications services, to television broadcasting and aeronautical and maritime navigation, to space research and exploration.
 

Changes can only be made to the Radio Regulations during world radiocommunication conferences. Held every two to three years, this global conference defines changes to the way radio spectrum is used and shared around the world, bringing together governments to renegotiate relevant parts of the Radio Regulations. Prior to World Radiocommunication Conferences, extensive consultations are typically undertaken with equipment makers, carriers and all other major stakeholders at national and regional level. Many of these stakeholders also serve as members of national delegations at the conference itself.

The four-week programme of plenary sessions and specialized working groups establishes and updates the global technical, operational and regulatory guidelines that govern service delivery for terrestrial and satellite applications. The most recent WRC, held in Geneva in 2003, established a blueprint for ongoing evolution of the global radiocommunication sector that reflects its current and future needs.
 

An ITU region or group of countries with a mandate to develop agreements concerning a particular radiocommunication service or frequency band can also hold regional radiocommunication conferences. The most recent regional conference, convened in Geneva in 2004, took the first step towards an 'all-digital' terrestrial TV and radio broadcasting service with the establishment of the technical basis for planning of frequency bands 174-230 MHz and 470-862 MHz for Europe and Africa (Region 1), and for the Islamic Republic of Iran in Region 3.

The conference, which concluded its three-week session in 2004, dealt with more than 50 submissions, and was the first ITU conference of its kind for 15 years to deal with the planning of a terrestrial service. A second session is scheduled for 2006, when the final digital broadcasting plan should be established.
 

One of the Radiocommunication Sector’s most important recent achievements has been the development of the IMT-2000 global standard for mobile communications. IMT-2000 provides a global platform on which so-called 3G (third-generation) services — fast data access, unified messaging and broadband multimedia — can be built, paving the way to a whole range of exciting new interactive wireless services.

The ITU Radiocommunication Sector’s work on IMT-2000 began back in 1985. Many years of cooperative work between ITU State and Sector Members, including equipment manufacturers, network operators and service providers, culminated in the definition of the main features of the IMT-2000 radio interface by the end of 1999.

The first 3G systems based on the ITU IMT-2000 standard began operation in the year 2000. Since then, implementation of 3G systems using ITU-R IMT-2000 specifications continue to grow rapidly in all parts of the world.

Looking to a future beyond IMT-2000, the demand for seamless inter-working between a wide range of different telecommunication systems is expected to grow. Systems beyond IMT-2000 will comprise a multitude of telecommunication platforms, including 3G systems and their enhancements, WLAN-type systems, short-range connectivity systems, and broadcast systems. ITU will continue to support deployment of mobile wireless communications by recognizing the need to provide a global vision for the future development and advancement of IMT-2000.
 

The ITU Radiocommunication Sector's current priorities include:

Managing the growing demand for radio frequency and determining how countries and organizations can best share this finite resource is a complex undertaking. It is a significant element in ITU's overall efforts, in partnership with government and industry, to help the world communicate.