{"id":171,"date":"2025-02-18T19:51:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T19:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/160\/?page_id=171"},"modified":"2025-05-16T17:48:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T17:48:54","slug":"1900s-1930s","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.itu.int\/160\/our-history\/1900s-1930s\/","title":{"rendered":"1900s – 1930s"},"content":{"rendered":"
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1900s – 1930s<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
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Advancing innovation and technical standards<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n\n
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\n By the early 1900s, technical expertise and standardization were driving global progress in communications. As telegraphy expanded and wireless signalling emerged, the International Telegraph Union (as it was then known) provided a crucial platform for experts to develop common standards, exchange knowledge, and ensure the interoperability of evolving communication technologies across borders.<\/em> <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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\n 1906 <\/h2>\n

\n Managing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum <\/h3>\n

\n As wireless telegraphy \u00ad<\/sub>\u2014 later called radio-communication \u2014transformed the world at the dawn of the 20th<\/sup> century, the critical need for international coordination became more apparent than ever.

From 3 October to 3 November 1906, delegates gathered in Berlin for the first International Radiotelegraph Conference<\/a>. This landmark meeting established the regulatory framework for managing radio communications, recognizing the radio-frequency spectrum as a shared global resource that had to be managed cooperatively to prevent interference.
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The 1906 conference produced the International Radiotelegraph Convention with an annex containing the first regulations in this field. These were expanded and revised by numerous subsequent conferences, and became known as the Radio Regulations<\/a>. <\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The 2024 edition<\/a> of the Radio Regulations is a four-volume treaty of more than 2,000 pages, covering more than 40 different radiocommunication services, spanning frequencies from 8.3 kilohertz (kHz) to 3000 gigahertz (GHz). From underwater to outer space, the treaty specifies how equipment and systems must operate to ensure the successful coexistence of numerous services in today’s increasingly crowded airwaves.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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An example of the \u201cChart in colours showing frequency allocations\u201d a visualization produced between 1950 and 1986<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The 1927 Radio Conference in Washington<\/a> introduced the first international table of frequency allocations and established a system for notifying frequencies. Different radio services, from broadcasting to maritime, could now operate without harmful interference. Since then, the table has grown exponentially to accommodate increased spectrum needs for wireless services, which presents challenges for the dissemination of the complex and ever-expanding data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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ITU staff working alongside data processing equipment in the computer room at ITU headquarters in the early 1980s<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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From punched cards used in preparing frequency notices for the 1947 International Radio Conference<\/a> to the data processing system installed at headquarters in 1962, and on to present day digital tools, ITU has consistently embraced computing technology to facilitate the processing of complex technical information.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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The closing plenary and signing ceremony at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23)<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Every four years, ITU Member States meet at the World Radiocommunication Conference<\/a> to update the Radio Regulations. Modifications address the needs of new services along with the spectrum requirements of existing services.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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\n 1920s <\/h2>\n

\n A forum for technical expertise <\/h3>\n

\n The establishment of three International Consultative Committees (CCIs) in 1920s ushered in a new role for ITU. Until then, ITU administrative conferences had primarily focused on regulatory matters. However, the increasing complexity and rapid evolution of emerging technologies called for continuous technical inquiry. The CCIs were created to bring together experts to exchange ideas and develop international standards on technical, operational, and tariff-related matters in telecommunications.

Three specialized committees \u2013 each focusing on a specific technology \u2013 were formed: <\/p>\n

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