India will seek re-election to the ITU Council for the term 2023-2026. 

India has been a member of International Telecommunication Union (ITU) since 1869 and has been continuously participating, actively in the works, and activities of the Union, and has been contributing, to the fullest possible extent, in the growth and development, of telecom/ICTs, for the benefit of global community.

International Telecommunication Union

• The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a United Nations specialised agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs.

• ITU was founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union.

• It took its present name in 1932, and in 1947 became a specialised agency of the United Nations.

• The headquarters is situated in Geneva, Switzerland.

• ITU is the intergovernmental body responsible for coordinating the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoting international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, improving communication infrastructure in the developing world, and establishing the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. 

• From broadband networks to cutting-edge wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, oceanographic and satellite-based earth monitoring as well as converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world.

• ITU’s global membership includes 193 Member States as well as some 900 companies, universities, and international and regional organisations. ​

Role of ITU

• ITU makes phone calls possible. ITU standards, protocols and international agreements are the essential elements underpinning the global telecommunication system.

• ITU coordinates the world’s satellites through the management of spectrum and orbits, bringing television, vehicle GPS navigation, maritime and aeronautical communications, weather information and online maps, and enabling communications in even the remotest parts of the planet.

• It makes Internet access possible. The majority of Internet connections are facilitated by ITU standards.

• It helps support communications in the wake of disasters and emergencies – through on-the-ground assistance, dedicated emergency communications channels, technical standards for early warning systems, and practical help in rebuilding after a catastrophe.

• ITU works with the industry to define the new technologies that will support tomorrow’s networks and services.

• It powers the mobile revolution, forging the technical standards and policy frameworks that make mobile and broadband possible.

• ITU works with public and private sector partners to ensure that ICT access and services are affordable, equitable and universal.

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