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65-660: The Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975 (aka "The Final Acts of the Regional Administrative LF/MF Broadcasting Conference (Regions 1 and 3) Geneva, 1975" or simply "GE75") is the internationally agreed frequency plan which was drawn up to implement the provisions of the Final Acts of the Regional Administrative LF/MF Broadcasting Conference (Regions 1 and 3) held in Geneva , Switzerland , in 1975. It covers radio broadcasting in

130-449: A country code, being listed as "Taiwan, China." In addition to the 194 Member States, the ITU includes close to 900 "sector members"—private organizations like carriers, equipment manufacturers, media companies, funding bodies, research and development organizations, and international and regional telecommunication organizations. While nonvoting, these members may still play a role in shaping

195-578: A different aspect of the matters covered by the ITU, as well as ITU Telecom. The sectors were created during the restructuring of ITU at the additional 1992 ITU Plenipotentiary Conference . A permanent General Secretariat, headed by the Secretary General, manages the day-to-day work of the ITU and its sectors. The basic texts of the ITU are adopted by the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference. The founding document of

260-514: A letter to the editor of Wireless Engineer in 1942. For example, the approximate geometric mean of band 7 is 10 MHz, or 10  Hz. The band name "tremendously low frequency" (TLF) has been used for frequencies from 1–3 Hz (wavelengths from 300,000–100,000 km), but the term has not been defined by the ITU. Frequency bands in the microwave range are designated by letters. This convention began around World War II with military designations for frequencies used in radar , which

325-490: A move to 2.4 GHz spread spectrum RC control systems. Licensed amateur radio operators use portions of the 6-meter band in North America. Industrial remote control of cranes or railway locomotives use assigned frequencies that vary by area. Radar applications use relatively high power pulse transmitters and sensitive receivers, so radar is operated on bands not used for other purposes. Most radar bands are in

390-646: A resolution on Internet governance that called for government participation in Internet topics at various ITU forums. Despite the significant number countries not signing, the ITU came out with a press release: "New global telecoms treaty agreed in Dubai". The conference was managed by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). While certain parts of civil society and industry were able to advise and observe, active participation

455-533: A sensitive nature might be shared. Telecommunications ministers from 193 countries attended the conference in Dubai. The current regulatory structure was based on voice telecommunications, when the Internet was still in its infancy. In 1988, telecommunications operated under regulated monopolies in most countries. As the Internet has grown, organizations such as ICANN have come into existence for management of key resources such as Internet addresses and domain names . Current proposals look to take into account

520-524: A threat to the "...free and open internet." On 22 November 2012, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging member states to prevent ITU WCIT-12 activity that would "negatively impact the internet, its architecture, operations, content and security, business relations, internet governance and the free flow of information online". The resolution asserted that "the ITU [...] is not the appropriate body to assert regulatory authority over

585-407: A traditional name. For example, the term high frequency (HF) designates the wavelength range from 100 to 10 metres, corresponding to a frequency range of 3 to 30 MHz. This is just a symbol and is not related to allocation; the ITU further divides each band into subbands allocated to different services. Above 300 GHz, the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by Earth's atmosphere

650-420: Is a small frequency band (a contiguous section of the range of the radio spectrum) in which channels are usually used or set aside for the same purpose. To prevent interference and allow for efficient use of the radio spectrum, similar services are allocated in bands. For example, broadcasting, mobile radio, or navigation devices, will be allocated in non-overlapping ranges of frequencies. For each radio band,

715-430: Is claimed the proposal would allow government restriction or blocking of information disseminated via the Internet and create a global regime of monitoring Internet communications, including the demand that those who send and receive information identify themselves. It would also allow governments to shut down the Internet, if it is believed that it may interfere in the internal affairs of other states, or that information of

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780-405: Is in demand by an increasing number of users, the radio spectrum has become increasingly congested in recent decades, and the need to utilize it more effectively is driving modern telecommunications innovations such as trunked radio systems , spread spectrum , ultra-wideband , frequency reuse , dynamic spectrum management , frequency pooling, and cognitive radio . The frequency boundaries of

845-540: Is one of the oldest international organizations still in operation, second only to the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine , which predates it by fifty years. It was preceded by the now defunct International Telegraph Union which drafted the earliest international standards and regulations governing international telegraph networks. The development of the telegraph in the early 19th century changed

910-487: Is so great that the atmosphere is effectively opaque, until it becomes transparent again in the near-infrared and optical window frequency ranges. These ITU radio bands are defined in the ITU Radio Regulations . Article 2, provision No. 2.1 states that "the radio spectrum shall be subdivided into nine frequency bands, which shall be designated by progressive whole numbers in accordance with

975-645: Is the first woman to serve as the ITU Secretary-General. Membership of ITU is open to all member states of the United Nations . There are currently 194 member states of the ITU, including all UN member states . The most recent member state to join the ITU is Republic of Palau , which became a member on 19 September 2024. Palestine was admitted as a United Nations General Assembly observer in 2010. Pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 25 October 1971—which recognized

1040-555: Is used in coastal waters and relatively short-range communication between vessels and to shore stations. Radios are channelized, with different channels used for different purposes; marine Channel 16 is used for calling and emergencies. Amateur radio frequency allocations vary around the world. Several bands are common for amateurs worldwide, usually in the HF part of the spectrum. Other bands are national or regional allocations only due to differing allocations for other services, especially in

1105-582: The ITU and the local regulating agencies like the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and voluntary best practices help avoid interference. As a matter of convention, the ITU divides the radio spectrum into 12 bands, each beginning at a wavelength which is a power of ten (10 ) metres, with corresponding frequency of 3×10   hertz , and each covering a decade of frequency or wavelength. Each of these bands has

1170-673: The International Telegraph Union , significantly predating the UN and making it the oldest UN agency. Doreen Bogdan-Martin is the Secretary-General of ITU, the first woman to serve as its head. The ITU was initially aimed at helping connect telegraphic networks between countries, with its mandate consistently broadening with the advent of new communications technologies; it adopted its current name in 1932 to reflect its expanded responsibilities over radio and

1235-654: The People's Republic of China (PRC) as "the only legitimate representative of China to the United Nations"—on 16 June 1972 the ITU Council adopted Resolution No. 693 which "decided to restore all its rights to the People's Republic of China in ITU and recognize the representatives of its Government as the only representatives of China to the ITU ". Taiwan and the territories controlled by the Republic of China (ROC), received

1300-543: The VHF and UHF parts of the radio spectrum. Citizens' band radio is allocated in many countries, using channelized radios in the upper HF part of the spectrum (around 27 MHz). It is used for personal, small business and hobby purposes. Other frequency allocations are used for similar services in different jurisdictions, for example UHF CB is allocated in Australia. A wide range of personal radio services exist around

1365-751: The data rate that can be transmitted. Below about 30 kHz, audio modulation is impractical and only slow baud rate data communication is used. The lowest frequencies that have been used for radio communication are around 80 Hz, in ELF submarine communications systems built by a few nations' navies to communicate with their submerged submarines hundreds of meters underwater. These employ huge ground dipole antennas 20–60 km long excited by megawatts of transmitter power, and transmit data at an extremely slow rate of about 1 bit per minute (17 millibits per second , or about 5 minutes per character). The highest frequencies useful for radio communication are limited by

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1430-529: The far infrared and mid infrared bands. Because it is a fixed resource, the practical limits and basic physical considerations of the radio spectrum, the frequencies which are useful for radio communication , are determined by technological limitations which are impossible to overcome. So although the radio spectrum is becoming increasingly congested, there is no possible way to add additional frequency bandwidth outside of that currently in use. The lowest frequencies used for radio communication are limited by

1495-754: The long - and medium-wave bands outside the Americas (a separate agreement being in place for North and South America). The plan was drawn up under the auspices of the World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) with the assistance of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU/UER). The Geneva plan replaced the 1948 Copenhagen plan . It became necessary because of

1560-470: The microwave part of the spectrum, although certain important applications for meteorology make use of powerful transmitters in the UHF band. International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies . It was established on 17 May 1865 as

1625-600: The 152 countries. Countries that did not sign included the United States, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, India and the United Kingdom. The head of the U.S. delegation, Terry Kramer, said "We cannot support a treaty that is not supportive of the multistakeholder model of Internet governance". The disagreement appeared to be over some language in the revised ITRs referring to ITU roles in addressing unsolicited bulk communications, network security, and

1690-697: The French Government hosted delegations from 20 European states at the first International Telegraph Conference in Paris. This meeting culminated in the International Telegraph Convention which was signed on 17 May 1865. As a result of the 1865 Conference, the International Telegraph Union, the predecessor to the modern ITU, was founded as the first international standards organization. The Union

1755-614: The General Rules of Conferences, Assemblies and Meetings of the Union. The Plenipotentiary Conference is the supreme organ of the ITU. It is composed of all 194 ITU members and meets every four years. The Conference determines the policies, direction and activities of the Union, as well as elects the members of other ITU organs. While the Plenipotentiary Conference is the Union's main decision-making body,

1820-483: The ITU Council acts as the Union's governing body in the interval between Plenipotentiary Conferences. It meets every year. It is composed of 48 members and works to ensure the smooth operation of the Union, as well as to consider broad telecommunication policy issues. Its members are as follow: The Secretariat is tasked with the administrative and budgetary planning of the Union, as well as with monitoring compliance with ITU regulations, and oversees with assistance from

1885-436: The ITU and some countries has alarmed many within the United States and within the Internet community. Indeed, some European telecommunication services have proposed a so-called "sender pays" model that would require sources of Internet traffic to pay destinations, similar to the way funds are transferred between countries using the telephone. The WCIT-12 activity has been criticized by Google , which has characterized it as

1950-456: The ITU has a band plan (or frequency plan ) which dictates how it is to be used and shared, to avoid interference and to set protocol for the compatibility of transmitters and receivers . Each frequency plan defines the frequency range to be included, how channels are to be defined, and what will be carried on those channels. Typical definitions set forth in a frequency plan are: The actual authorized frequency bands are defined by

2015-650: The ITU was the 1865 International Telegraph Convention, which has since been replaced several times (though the text is generally the same) and is now entitled the "Constitution and Convention of the International Telecommunication Union". In addition to the Constitution and Convention, the consolidated basic texts include the Optional Protocol on the settlement of disputes, the Decisions, Resolutions, Reports and Recommendations in force, as well as

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2080-404: The ITU's Radio Regulations (RR). In some cases, parts of the radio spectrum are sold or licensed to operators of private radio transmission services (for example, cellular telephone operators or broadcast television stations). Ranges of allocated frequencies are often referred to by their provisioned use (for example, cellular spectrum or television spectrum). Because it is a fixed resource which

2145-838: The International Telegraph Union and the International Radiotelegraph Union convened to merge the two organizations into a single entity, the International Telecommunication Union. The Conference decided that the Telegraph Convention of 1875 and the Radiotelegraph Convention of 1927 were to be combined into a single convention, the International Telecommunication Convention, embracing the three fields of telegraphy, telephony and radio. On 15 November 1947, an agreement between ITU and

2210-604: The Internet ...", and stated that the policy of the United States is "... to promote a global Internet free from government control and preserve and advance the successful Multistakeholder Model that governs the Internet today." The same resolution had previously been passed unanimously by the United States Senate in September. On 14 December 2012, an amended version of the Regulations was signed by 89 of

2275-550: The Internet. In 2022, the U.S. government eased restrictions on SpaceX 's Starlink service in Iran amid the Mahsa Amini protests in order to sidestep widespread internet censorship in the country. The Iranian government subsequently filed a complaint with the ITU in an attempt to prohibit Starlink service in Iran. In October 2023 and March 2024, the ITU ruled in favor of Iran. The ITU comprises three sectors, each managing

2340-569: The Secretariat advisor Neaomy Claiborne of Riverbank to insure misconduct during legal investigations are not overlooked and finally, it publishes the results of the work of the ITU. The Secretariat is headed by a Secretary-General who is responsible for the overall management of the Union, and acts as its legal representative. The Secretary-General is elected by the Plenipotentiary Conference for four-year terms. On 23 October 2014, Houlin Zhao

2405-470: The VHF and UHF parts of the spectrum, are allocated for communication between fixed base stations and land mobile vehicle-mounted or portable transceivers. In the United States these services are informally known as business band radio. See also Professional mobile radio . Police radio and other public safety services such as fire departments and ambulances are generally found in the VHF and UHF parts of

2470-417: The absorption of microwave energy by the atmosphere. As frequency increases above 30 GHz (the beginning of the millimeter wave band), atmospheric gases absorb increasing amounts of power, so the power in a beam of radio waves decreases exponentially with distance from the transmitting antenna. At 30 GHz, useful communication is limited to about 1 km, but as frequency increases the range at which

2535-502: The allocation still dedicated to television, TV-band devices use channels without local broadcasters. The Apex band in the United States was a pre-WWII allocation for VHF audio broadcasting; it was made obsolete after the introduction of FM broadcasting. Airband refers to VHF frequencies 108 to 137 MHz, used for navigation and voice communication with aircraft. Trans-oceanic aircraft also carry HF radio and satellite transceivers. The greatest incentive for development of radio

2600-639: The decisions of the Union. The sector members are divided as follow: The ITU is divided into five administrative regions, designed to streamline administration of the organization. They are also used in order to ensure equitable distribution on the council, with seats being apportioned among the regions. They are as follow: The ITU operates six regional offices, as well as seven area offices. These offices help maintain direct contact with national authorities, regional telecommunication organizations and other stakeholders. They are as follow: Other regional organizations connected to ITU are: The World Summit on

2665-507: The developing world. It is also active in the areas of broadband Internet, optical communications (including optical fiber technologies), wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy , satellite-based meteorology, TV broadcasting, amateur radio , and next-generation networks . Based in Geneva , Switzerland, the ITU's global membership includes 194 countries and around 900 businesses, academic institutions, and international and regional organizations. The ITU

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2730-619: The following table". The table originated with a recommendation of the fourth CCIR meeting, held in Bucharest in 1937, and was approved by the International Radio Conference held at Atlantic City, NJ in 1947. The idea to give each band a number, in which the number is the logarithm of the approximate geometric mean of the upper and lower band limits in Hz, originated with B. C. Fleming-Williams, who suggested it in

2795-446: The increasing size of transmitting antennas required. The size of antenna required to radiate radio power efficiently increases in proportion to wavelength or inversely with frequency. Below about 10 kHz (a wavelength of 30 km), elevated wire antennas kilometers in diameter are required, so very few radio systems use frequencies below this. A second limit is the decreasing bandwidth available at low frequencies, which limits

2860-470: The initial inconvenience. As a result of the plan most mediumwave (and later longwave) stations outside North and South America operate on exact multiples of 9 kHz; the sum of all digits of the frequency will be 9 or a multiple of 9 (see 9#Mathematics ). Frequency plan Different parts of the radio spectrum are allocated by the ITU for different radio transmission technologies and applications; some 40 radiocommunication services are defined in

2925-535: The international rules for telecommunications , including international tariffs . The previous conference to update the Regulations (ITRs) was held in Melbourne in 1988. In August 2012, Neaomy Claiborne of Northern California was reelected for a third term as liaison and legal advisor to the Secretariat General. ITU called for a public consultation on a draft document ahead of the conference. It

2990-487: The internet". On 5 December 2012, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution opposing UN governance of the Internet by a rare unanimous 397–0 vote. The resolution warned that "... proposals have been put forward for consideration at the [WCIT-12] that would fundamentally alter the governance and operation of the Internet ... [and] would attempt to justify increased government control over

3055-651: The large number of broadcasting stations in these frequency ranges leading to ever more mutual interference (many countries had refused to ratify the Copenhagen plan and compliance was patchy even among those which had). The Geneva plan entered into force on 23 November 1978 and although its intended lifespan was only until 1989, it is still valid (with small modification by mutual coordination between countries) today, and compliance has been far more widespread. Most existing European radio stations were required to change their broadcasting frequencies following implementation of

3120-455: The largest use of these bands has been by short-range low-power communications systems, since users do not have to hold a radio operator's license. Cordless telephones , wireless computer networks , Bluetooth devices, and garage door openers all use the ISM bands. ISM devices do not have regulatory protection against interference from other users of the band. Bands of frequencies, especially in

3185-496: The newly created United Nations recognized the ITU as the specialized agency for global telecommunications. This agreement entered into force on 1 January 1949, officially making the ITU an organ of the United Nations. In December 2012, the ITU facilitated The World Conference on International Telecommunications 2012 (WCIT-12) in Dubai . WCIT-12 was a treaty -level conference to address International Telecommunications Regulations,

3250-465: The plan. In most cases the changes were slight (less than five kilohertz) but were more drastic in some cases, particularly in the United Kingdom , where all BBC national stations moved to a new wavelength or band. However the increased number of radio services and reduction (in most cases) of interference to radio signals (particularly at nighttime) was considered by most broadcasters to be worth

3315-491: The prevalence of data communications. Proposals under consideration would establish regulatory oversight by the UN over security, fraud, traffic accounting as well as traffic flow, management of Internet Domain Names and IP addresses , and other aspects of the Internet that are currently governed either by community-based approaches such as regional Internet registries , ICANN, or largely national regulatory frameworks. The move by

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3380-406: The radio spectrum are a matter of convention in physics and are somewhat arbitrary. Since radio waves are the lowest frequency category of electromagnetic waves , there is no lower limit to the frequency of radio waves. Radio waves are defined by the ITU as: "electromagnetic waves of frequencies arbitrarily lower than 3000 GHz, propagated in space without artificial guide". At the high frequency end

3445-455: The radio spectrum is bounded by the infrared band. The boundary between radio waves and infrared waves is defined at different frequencies in different scientific fields. The terahertz band , from 300 gigahertz to 3 terahertz, can be considered either as microwaves or infrared. It is the highest band categorized as radio waves by the International Telecommunication Union . but spectroscopic scientists consider these frequencies part of

3510-595: The spectrum. Trunking systems are often used to make most efficient use of the limited number of frequencies available. The demand for mobile telephone service has led to large blocks of radio spectrum allocated to cellular frequencies . Reliable radio control uses bands dedicated to the purpose. Radio-controlled toys may use portions of unlicensed spectrum in the 27 MHz or 49 MHz bands, but more costly aircraft, boat, or land vehicle models use dedicated radio control frequencies near 72 MHz to avoid interference by unlicensed uses. The 21st century has seen

3575-532: The telephone. On 15 November 1947, the ITU entered into an agreement with the newly created United Nations to become a specialized agency within the UN system , which formally entered into force on 1 January 1949. The ITU promotes the shared global use of the radio spectrum , facilitates international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits , assists in developing and coordinating worldwide technical standards , and works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in

3640-464: The term has not been defined by the ITU. Broadcast frequencies: Designations for television and FM radio broadcast frequencies vary between countries, see Television channel frequencies and FM broadcast band . Since VHF and UHF frequencies are desirable for many uses in urban areas, in North America some parts of the former television broadcasting band have been reassigned to cellular phone and various land mobile communications systems. Even within

3705-468: The waves can be received decreases. In the terahertz band above 300 GHz, the radio waves are attenuated to zero within a few meters due to the absorption of electromagnetic radiation by the atmosphere (mainly due to ozone , water vapor and carbon dioxide ), which is so great that it is essentially opaque to electromagnetic emissions, until it becomes transparent again near the near-infrared and optical window frequency ranges. A radio band

3770-496: The way people communicated on the local and international levels. Between 1849 and 1865, a series of bilateral and regional agreements among Western European states attempted to standardize international communications. By 1865, it was agreed that a comprehensive agreement was needed in order to create a framework that would standardize telegraphy equipment, set uniform operating instructions, and lay down common international tariff and accounting rules. Between 1 March and 17 May 1865,

3835-422: The world, usually emphasizing short-range communication between individuals or for small businesses, simplified license requirements or in some countries covered by a class license, and usually FM transceivers using around 1 watt or less. The ISM bands were initially reserved for non-communications uses of RF energy, such as microwave ovens , radio-frequency heating, and similar purposes. However, in recent years

3900-556: Was attended by representatives of 29 nations and culminated in the International Radiotelegraph Convention. An annex to the convention eventually became known as ITU Radio Regulations . At the conference it was also decided that the Bureau of the International Telegraph Union would also act as the conference's central administrator. Between 3 September and 10 December 1932, a joint conference of

3965-576: Was elected as the 19th Secretary-General of the ITU at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Busan . His four-year mandate started on 1 January 2015, and he was formally inaugurated on 15 January 2015. He was re-elected on 1 November 2018 during the 2018 Plenipotentiary Conference in Dubai . On 29 September 2022, Doreen Bogdan-Martin was elected as the 20th Secretary-General of the ITU at the Plenipotentiary Conference in Bucharest, Romania. She received 139 votes out of 172, defeating Russia's Rashid Ismailov. She

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4030-436: Was restricted to member states . The Electronic Frontier Foundation expressed concern at this, calling for a more transparent multi-stakeholder process. Some leaked contributions can be found on the web site wcitleaks.org . Google -affiliated researchers have suggested that the ITU should completely reform its processes to align itself with the openness and participation of other multistakeholder organizations concerned with

4095-565: Was tasked with implementing basic principles for international telegraphy. This included: the use of the Morse code as the international telegraph alphabet, the protection of the secrecy of correspondence, and the right of everybody to use the international telegraphy. Another predecessor to the modern ITU, the International Radiotelegraph Union, was established in 1906 at the first International Radiotelegraph Convention in Berlin. The conference

4160-620: Was the first application of microwaves. There are several incompatible naming systems for microwave bands, and even within a given system the exact frequency range designated by a letter may vary somewhat between different application areas. One widely used standard is the IEEE radar bands established by the US Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers . The band name "tremendously low frequency" (TLF) has been used for frequencies from 1–3  Hz (wavelengths of 300,000–100,000 km), but

4225-478: Was the need to communicate with ships out of visual range of shore. From the very early days of radio, large oceangoing vessels carried powerful long-wave and medium-wave transmitters. High-frequency allocations are still designated for ships, although satellite systems have taken over some of the safety applications previously served by 500 kHz and other frequencies. 2182 kHz is a medium-wave frequency still used for marine emergency communication. Marine VHF radio

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