International Telecommunication Union (ITU)

• Role and Work of the Union
• Structure and Activities
• Plenipotentiary Conference (PP)
• Council
• ITU Council Working Groups
• ITU Sectors
  • Radiocommunication Sector
  • Telecommunication Standardization Sector
  • Telecommunication Development Sector
• ITU TELECOM

Role and Work of the Union

• International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union is unique among international organizations in that it was founded on the principle of cooperation between governments and the private sector. With a membership encompassing telecommunication policy-makers and regulators, network operators, equipment manufacturers, hardware and software developers, regional standards-making organizations and financing institutions, ITU's activities, policies and strategic direction are determined and shaped by the industry it serves.

Structure and Activities

The three Sectors of the Union - Radiocommunication (ITU-R), Telecommunication Standardization (ITU-T), and Telecommunication Development (ITU-D) - work today to build and shape tomorrow's networks and services. Their activities cover all aspects of telecommunication, from setting standards that facilitate seamless interworking of equipment and systems on a global basis to adopting operational procedures for the vast and growing array of wireless services and designing programmes to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world.

Each of the three ITU Sectors works through conferences and meetings, where members negotiate the agreements which serve as the basis for the operation of global telecommunication services.

Plenipotentiary Conference

• Plenipotentiary Conference

The supreme authority of the Union is the Plenipotentiary Conference, a meeting composed of delegations from the Union's Member States, held every four years to adopt the underlying policies of the organization and determine its structure and activities.

Council

• Council

The role of the Council is to consider, in the interval between plenipotentiary conferences, broad telecommunication policy issues to ensure that the Union's activities, policies and strategies fully respond to today's dynamic, rapidly changing telecommunication environment. It also prepares the ITU strategic plan.