Every year on 17 May, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) marks a rich history of collaboration in the fast-paced field of technology – from the telegraph to quantum.

ITU was founded back in 1865 to standardize international telegraph exchanges across Europe. It grew rapidly, expanded its mandate to coordinate radio and telephone communications, and in 1947 became a specialized agency of the United Nations.

But even today, as digital and space-based services surge, the organization remains true to its core mandate: fostering global cooperation to bring the benefits of communication technologies to all the people of the world.

Despite robust progress, about 2.6 billion people remain offline worldwide, primarily in rural and low-income areas. ITU’s initiatives aim to bridge this digital divide and ensure technologies reach everyone.

Alan Roura, a Swiss skipper who last year completed his third consecutive Vendée Globe circumnavigation, underscored the value of digital connectivity on the high seas. Weather forecasts which used to come by fax are now delivered in two seconds. Connectivity means security, from live advice on fixing the boat to real-time medical consultations.

It also allows sailors to keep in touch with loved ones, as well as avoid the doldrums. “When you spend three months at sea alone, your friend is some podcasts.”

From oceans to orbits

Global connectivity depends increasingly on satellite networks, which can reach the remotest corners of the Earth.

ITU’s Radio Regulations treaty, along with coordinating terrestrial radio services, ensures satellite systems operate without interference. The work of ITU also ensures spacecraft, whether or not they carry a human crew, can communicate reliably.

“Being connected to the Earth via satellite in the geostationary orbit, this constant communication capability with mission control – this is the magic of communication,” said Claude Nicollier, a Swiss astronaut with the European Space Agency who was a mission specialist on the US space shuttle Atlantis in 1992. “There is no human space contact without this.”

ITU is working closely with governments, space agencies, the private sector, and key UN organizations to maintain the viability of space for future generations.

Connecting everyone, everywhere

Technical expertise and standards are a key component of a comprehensive UN offering that aids and empowers countries and people worldwide.

“Saudi Arabia is a proud partner in the celebrations, standing with nations committed to using technology for inclusion resilience and sustainability,’’ said Shahad Albalawi, International Representation Director for the country’s Communications, Space & Technology Commission. “From sea to sky, we are and will remain connected by ITU.”

Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva, said the whole UN system could draw valuable lessons from its oldest agency. “We are going through challenging times, but if we manage to adapt to changing times, we will always be relevant and able to work for humanity,” she said.

Nowadays, ITU also addresses challenges – and, just as importantly, opportunities – presented by artificial intelligence (AI) and nascent quantum information technologies.

Anniversary highlights

ITU began the same year Jules Verne produced his space-travel novel From the Earth to the Moon.

Just how far the organization has come over the 160 years since then – along with how much remains to be done – was clear on the evening of 17 May in Geneva, Switzerland the organization’s story of evolving with technologies was projected onto the iconic ITU Tower.

The anniversary lightshow highlighted how ITU has brought together public and private stakeholders to ensure connections by land, sea, sky and space.

Noel Curran, Director General of the European Broadcasting Union, said from the concurrent Eurovision Song Contest in nearby Basel: “ITU is totally involved in bringing this to tens of millions of people around the world by aligning technologies – audio standards, visual standards, spectrum – and it is ITU’s dedication, commitment and excellence that allows us to do what we do.”

A story of connection

ITU has indeed come a long way in 16 decades.

“Ours is a story of connection, of making digital experiences meaningful, safe and beneficial for everyone, everywhere,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General. “But our mission is far from complete with one-third of humanity offline. They are at risk of being left behind, especially when technologies like AI are transforming the world.”

ITU’s mandate matters as much now as it did in 1865, when Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys, French Foreign Minister and Chairman of the First International Telegraph Conference, described that first meeting as “a veritable peace congress.”

The new organization, he added, would lessen misunderstandings and enable nations to take advantage of “this prodigious means of communication, this electric wire which conveys thoughts through space at lightning speed.”

https://www.itu.int/hub/2025/05/160-years-of-technologies-empowering-humanity/