150 Years of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) 14.9.2015

"150 Years of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU)".

The International Telecommunication Union was created in 1865 to promote trans-national cooperation in telegraphy. Today, ITU has 191 Member States and more than 700 organizations, members and associates. It cooperates internationally, covering the entire spectrum of telecommunications, including natural resources management and the creation of high quality standards covering all fields of telecommunications and radio communications, including telecoms development in developing countries.

In 2015 the International Telecommunication Union celebrates 150 years since its establishment. 14.9.2015 has been named as World Telecommunication and  Information Society Day, focusing on raising awareness of the possibilities that the Internet and other Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can bring to societies and economies.  

Norway Celebrates the Centenary of the ITU

These two stamps on the first day cover with the special postmark were issued by Norway at Oslo on 1.4.1965 to commemorate the Centenary of the ITU.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), originally the International Telegraph Union (Union Internationale des Télécommunications), is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is responsible for issues that concern information and communication technologies. The ITU coordinates the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promotes international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, works to improve telecommunication infrastructure in the developing world, and assists in the development and coordination of worldwide technical standards.

ITU was founded in Paris in 1865 as the International Telegraph Union. It took its present name in 1932, and in 1947 became a specialized agency of the United Nations. Although its first area of expertise was the telegraph, the work of ITU now covers the whole ICT sector, from digital broadcasting to the Internet, and from mobile technologies to 3D TV. An organization of public-private partnership since its inception, ITU currently has a membership of 193 countries and some 700 private-sector entities. ITU is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and has twelve regional and area offices around the world.

These two stamps on the first day cover with the special postmark were issued by Norway at Oslo on 1.4.1965 to commemorate theCentenary of the ITU.

Cyprus 17.5.1965 - 100th Anniversary of the founding of the ITU 17.5.1965

On 24 May 1844, Samuel Morse sent his first public message over a telegraph line between Washington and Baltimore, and through that simple act, ushered in the telecommunication age.

On 17 May 1865, after two and a half months of arduous negotiation, the first International Telegraph Convention was signed in Paris by the 20 founding members, and the International Telegraph Union (ITU) was established to facilitate subsequent amendments to this initial agreement. Today, some 145 years later, the reasons which led to the establishment of ITU still apply, and the fundamental objectives of the organization remain basically unchanged.

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was founded in 1865 making it the oldest international organization in the UN family. ITU is the leading United Nations agency for information and communication technology issues, and the global focal point for governments and the private sector in developing networks and services.

From its beginnings in 1865 up until the present ITU has produced a multitude of documents that chart the organization’s history and contribution to information and communication technology issues.

This FDC issued by Cyprus with the three stamps on it was given to me by Maria and were issued on 17.5.1965 to comemorate the 100^thAnniversary of the founding of the ITU.