Landmarks in ITU History

                LANDMARKS IN ITU HISTORY

1837   Invention of the first electric telegraph

1865   17 May.  Foundation of the International
       Telegraph Union by twenty States with the
       adoption of the first Convention.  First
       Telegraph Regulations

1868   Vienna - Telegraph Conference.  Decision
       to establish Union headquarters in Bern.

1869   Publication of Telegraph Journal

1876   Alexander Graham Bell patents his
       invention of the telephone

1885   Berlin - Telegraph Conference.  First
       provisions for international telephone
       service

1895   First signals transmitted by radio-relay
       system

1902   First radio transmissions of the human
       voice

1906   Berlin - International Radiotelegraph
       Conference (Plenipotentiary).  First
       Radiotelegraph Convention; Service
       Regulations.  Adoption of SOS signal.
       First trials of broadcasting (voice and
       music) using radiotelephony

1920   Birth of sound-broadcasting

1924   Paris - Creation of CCIF (international
       Telephone Consultative Committee).

1925   Paris - Creation of CCIT (International
       Telegraph Consultative Committee).

1927   Washington - Radiotelegraph Conference
       (Plenipotentiary).  Creation of the CCIR
       (International Radio Consultative
       Committee),

1932   Madrid - Plenipotentiary Conference.
       Telegraph and Radiotelegraph Conventions
       merged into a single International
       Telecommunication Convention.  Telegraph
       Union changes name to International
       Telecommunication Union.  Telegraph
       Journal becomes Telecommunication Journal

1947   Atlantic City - Plenipotentiary
       Conference.  Creation of IFRB
       (international Frequency Registration
       Board).  Administrative Council set up.
       ITU becomes a specialized agency of the
       United Nations.

1948   ITU headquarters transferred to Geneva

1952   Buenos Aires - Plenipotentiary Conference.
       Start of ITU technical cooperation
       activities

1956   Geneva - CCIF and CCIT merged into new
       CCITT (International Telegraph and
       Telephone Consultative Committee)

1957   Launching of Sputnik-1, the Earth's first
       artificial satellite

1962   New building for ITU headquarters in
       Geneva

1963   Geneva - First World Space
       Radiocommunication Conference

1965   Montreux - Plenipotentiary Conference.
       Centenary of the Union.  Commemorative
       ceremony in Paris

1971   First World Telecommunication Exhibition
       and FORUM - TELECOM 71

1982   Nairobi - Plenipotentiary Conference.
       Independent Commission for World-Wide
       Telecommunications Development
       established

1983   World Communications Year (WCY)

1985   Asia TELECOM 85 - First regional
       telecommunication exhibition in Asia and
       the Pacific region

1986   Africa TELECOM 86 - First regional
       telecommunication exhibition in Africa
       region

1988   America TELECOM 88 - First regional
       telecommunication exhibition in the
       Americas region

1989   Nice - Plenipotentiary Conference,
       Creation of the High Level Committee to
       carry out an in-depth review of the
       structure and functioning of the Union,
       in order to recommend reforms enabling
       the organization to respond to the
       challenges of the new international
       telecommunications environment.

1990   125th anniversary of the ITU

1992   Torremolinos - World Administrative Radio
       Conference for dealing with frequency
       allocations in certain parts of the
       spectrum (WARC-92)

       Geneva - Plenipotentiary Conference to
       adopt any structural reforms deemed
       necessary in light of the Recommendations
       of the High Level Committee.  Creation of
       three sectors (radiocommunications,
       telecommunication standardization and
       development) into which functions
       previously carried out by organs (IFRB,
       CCIR, CCITT, BDT) are integrated

       Europa TELECOM 92 - First regional
       telecommunication exhibition in Europe

1993   Helsinki - First World Telecommunication
       Standardization Conference

       Geneva - First World Radiocommunication
       Conference and Assembly