Articles
Telecoms for Information Societies
Dt: 4/4/25
Telecoms for Information Societies
Dr T.H.Chowdary*
One hundred ninety four (194) member countries of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) celebrate 17th May of every year as World Telecommunications and Information Society Day . Twenty European countries founded the ITU on 17 May 1865 in Paris as International Telegraph Union. As telephone (1876) , radio (1895), under-ocean communications cables (1955), geo-synchronous satellites 36,400 km up above the equator (1963), Internet (1983) as all information in voice, text, pictures and data got electronified, national telecommunications networks using different communications technologies got interconnected. This process is facilitated by collaborative efforts in the ITU. A similar organization for international postal services , the General Postal Union, was founded nine years later in 1874, in Berne in Switzerland. It changed its name into Universal Postal Union (UPU) . Russia since 1865, India and UK in 1871 , Japan 1879, USA 1908 and China in 1920 are members of the ITU.
2. The Chief Executive Officer of the ITU is designated the Secretary General; the office is located in Geneva, Switzerland. The Secretary General is elected for a four year term. Until a few years ago, an illustrious telecom person from a non-powerful country like Australia, Sweden, Algeria , Mali used to be elected to this crucial office. But China ‘s Hulin Zhao successfully got elected in 2015-2022 ; just as it got elected as Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2006.
3. In 1932 the Telegraph Union of 1865 became the International Telecom Union (ITU) in order to cover the telephone and radio communications between nations. In Nov 1947 it became a specialist organization of the United Nations taking cognizance of the developments in radio and satellite communication technologies it went on transforming itself into multi-mode communications organization. Starting with 20 countries in 1865, it now has 194 sovereign states as its Members. Every type of international communications is its concern so that the national networks with different technologies interconnect with every other communication network in every country of the world .
4. The ITU keeping abreast of the new forms of communications, various radio systems including satellite communications lays down international standards through an extensive consultative process through various committees from different nations so that we have instantaneous communications from any point on the planet earth to any other and even to its satellite, on the moon. Communications are facilitating the exchange of information and knowledge being generated from several sources on the planet earth. Ronald Reagan, the 40th US President (1981-89) once famously warned terrorists, “ you may run; but you can’t hide”. This is because satellites in the sky take pictures of every thing on earth, emergency position indicating radio beacons (EPIRD) send signals from the spot where a ship wrecked (sank) , these are picked up by satellites and rescue operations are guided to the spot.
5. A World Summit On The Information Society (WSIS) was convened by the ITU along with UNESCO, UNCTAD and UNDP with the aim of bridging the digital divide in the year 2003 in Geneva and in Tunis in 2005. After extensive deliberations what used to be observed as World Telecom Day was decided to be renamed as World Telecom And Information Society Day (WTIS) in Nov 2006 at the ITU’s plenipotentiary conference in Atalya in Turkey ( now Türkiye).
6. After China’s Hulin Zhao, another great power , USA’s Doreen Bogden was elected as Secretary General, effective from 1st Jan 2023. This is the first time a lady is leading the 160 years old ITU! In May 2023 the ITU opened a regional office in India. In October 2024 India played host to the ITU’s world conference ITU GSS on telecom standards in Delhi.
7. This year’s deliberation are on the theme “Ensuring Digital Future for all”. We are already witnessing the fruits of digital communications revolution in India as for instance even vegetable vendors accept money transfers on their cell phones. Artificial Intelligence (AI) which will be part of deliberations on 17 May profoundly affects humans. Sam Altman, Open AI’s CEO and AI guru sees India positioning itself as a leading player in the global AI landscape ( IE 04-03-2025)
8. The world’s 7.95 billion people have a staggering 8.5 bln mobile phones, many of them smart ones. In Bharat more than half a dozen states have more cell phones than people, Delhi, Kerala, Himachal , Karnataka leading with Bihar having 65 telephones for 100 people as against India’s average of 85.
9. Information processed is knowledge. Knowledge is power. Smart mobiles telephones place every information before you. That is why a mere World Telecom Day , 17 May is since November 2006 being observed as Telecom & Information Society Day. Here are some interesting facts about telephones:
10. Interesting Facts about Telephones:
· Countries with telephones more than population - Russia & South Africa
· Countries with largest number of telephones - China, India, USA, Indonesia
· Producers of largest number of telephones - China, South Korea
· Telephones in the world - 8.58 blns for 7.9 bln people
· India’s mobile phones - 1.2 bln
· Tele-density in India - 85 for 100 people
· Tele-density in : (phones per 100 people)
o Urban India - 131.86
o Rural – 58.48
o Lowest Bihar – 65
o Highest Delhi - 278Next HP 174
o Kerala -121
· World Telephone Density - 109 phones / 100 people
· Mobile phone shares in India ( in mlns)
|
|
R-Jio |
Bharati |
Voda-Idia |
BSNL |
Toal |
|
|
465.13 |
385.3 |
207.25 |
91.72 |
1149.4 |
|
% |
40.5 |
33.5 |
18.6 |
8.0 |
|
· Mukhesh Ambani, Akash Ambani, Isha Ambani head R-Jio companies
11. I am particularly happy that my forty-year long private and public campaigns since 1966 at considerable risk to my career in government for demonopolizing elelcoms ervices, opening their competitive provision by private sector companies have led to the realization of what I strove for and articulated in early 1980s.
· Haath haath mein telephone
Gaon gaon mein Internet
· Communicate for work
Commute for pleasure
The political decisions for realization of these goals were taken by three Prime Ministers - P V Narasimha Rao , Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Behari Vajpayi. (1014 words)
END