International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies. It is committed to connecting the entire world's people – wherever they live and whatever their means.

It allocate global radio spectrum and satellite orbits, develop the technical standards that ensure networks and technologies seamlessly interconnect, and strive to improve access to ICTs to underserved communities worldwide.

It has 191 Member States and more than 700 Sector Members and Associates (private companies, non-governmental organizations and other entities). The organization acts as a forum for governments and the private sector to coordinate technical and policy matters related to global telecommunications networks and services.

Areas of activity of ITU

It has three main areas of activity organized in three sectors: Standardization, Radio communication and Development.

Standardization: ITU standards (called Recommendations) are fundamental to the operation of today’s ICT networks. Without ITU standards we couldn’t make a telephone call or surf the Internet. For Internet access, transport protocols, voice and video compression, home networking, and myriad other aspects of ICTs, hundreds of ITU standards allow systems to work – locally and globally.

Radio communication: ITU coordinates this vast and growing range of radio communication services, as well as the international management of the radio-frequency spectrum and satellite orbits.

Development: In an increasingly networked world, expanding access to ICTs globally is in everybody's interest. ITU champions a number of major initiatives which encompass ITU's internationally-accorded mandate to ‘bridge the digital divide’, such as its ITU Connect events or Connect a School, Connect a Community. ITU also regularly publishes the industry’s most comprehensive and reliable ICT statistics.