Doreen Bogdan-Martin
Secretary-General, International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
2025 Satellite Leadership in Government Award
Remarks at the
Satellite Industry Association
26th Annual Leadership Dinner
[As prepared for delivery]
Good evening, everyone.
Thank you for this extraordinary honor.
I'm especially grateful, considering the impressive roster of past recipients.
I have always loved science, space, and public service. And my career, in some ways by chance, began in the world of satellites. In part because of my graduate studies, but also in part because of my lifechanging experience at NTIA (The National Telecommunications and Information Administration) where I started as an intern and then became a satellite policy analyst.
That fascination of what satellites can offer for enabling and facilitating global communications has stayed with me.
I remember the efforts of PanAmSat pushing for more competition − and the early filings of Iridium and Teledesic.
My curiosity and passion for international relations, development and technology led me to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), where I initiated our policy and regulatory support to countries that were reforming their telecoms sector − to eventually becoming the director of development − and then Secretary-General.
Many of you know ITU − but for those unfamiliar: we are the United Nations specialized agency for digital technologies.
Our history dates to 1865 − and we've been part of the space community for decades.
In fact, ITU began allocating frequencies for space communications more than 60 years ago.
From Early Bird in the mid-1960s, through treaty-based ventures like INTELSAT and INMARSAT, through the rise of commercial operators in geostationary orbit, and now the unprecedented activity in low-Earth orbit.
The gamut of space-based activities continues to expand – from remote sensing to on-orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing, and yes, even communications on the Moon. That lunar agenda item is generating lots of excitement.
ITU's core mandate is to help keep the radio environment that sustains these activities free from harmful interference.
About half of our Radiocommunication Bureau is dedicated to space services.
That's because space-based communications are increasingly vital to our mission of connecting the world − at a time when one third of humanity is offline.
For some communities, satellite technology can be the most viable path − even the only path − to digital opportunity.
In several countries, satellite broadband has already become the most affordable way to get online, and for people living in the remotest parts of the world, it's often the only option.
And that's what makes this work − our work − more important than ever.
So, if you'll allow me, I'd like to accept this award on behalf of the unconnected.
On behalf of the 2.6 billion people in the world who have yet to experience the opportunities that come with being online.
And all the people who work so hard, every single day, to put communications technologies at the service of all humanity.
Let me also express my gratitude to the Satellite Industry Association (SIA), to Tom Stroup (President) and the SIA team for this incredibly meaningful recognition.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It's hard to imagine a more forward-looking, innovative, and promising sector than this one.
Thank you for thinking beyond tomorrow – and pushing the bounds of human ingenuity beyond the furthest reaches of the universe.
ITU is committed to supporting that incredible innovation fueled by the vision of many of you here tonight.
Looking ahead to our 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference, more than 80 per cent of the agenda is related to space, from direct-to-device to inter-satellite links, to cislunar communications.
An exciting agenda as ITU continues to define spectrum sharing approaches that will unlock continued innovation and growth.
Beyond the technical regulations, we're also working to build a sustainable space environment. One that keeps the promise of meaningful connectivity alive for the 2.6 billion who remain offline.
Making good on that promise requires all of us working together.
Space agencies, satellite operators, new space companies from established firms to start-ups, and regulatory bodies with space as part of their portfolio − are all active participants in ITU's work.
I look forward to our continued collaboration as we shape the future of space, to benefit all of humanity, for generations to come.
