Backgrounder
Review of the International
Telecommunication Regulations
How do the world’s information and communication technology (ICT) operators and service
providers seamlessly interconnect the vast mesh of backbone networks, coaxial cabling,
satellite links, short- and long-haul connections and wireless data technologies that make up
today’s global communication networks? The answer is the International Telecommunication
Regulations (ITRs), an international treaty managed by ITU, the UN specialized agency for
ICTs.
The ITRs establish general principles relating to the provision and operation of international
telecommunications. They facilitate global interconnection and interoperability of
telecommunication infrastructure, underpin the harmonious development and efficient
operation of technical facilities, and promote the efficiency and availability of international
telecommunication services. As such, they also complement the Radio Regulations, another
ITU-managed international treaty, which governs the worldwide use of the radio-frequency
spectrum on which all wireless communication services rely.
The current ITRs treaty is the successor to a long series of instruments dating back to the
original creation of ITU in 1865. The immediate predecessors of the current treaty were
two separate treaties: the Telegraph Regulations (1973) and the Telephone Regulations
(1973).
Ready for revision?
The ITRs have remained unchanged since coming into force on 1 July 1990. Since then, there
has been rapid and far-reaching technological change and the widespread liberalization of
telecommunication markets, through privatization and competition. In many countries, the
role of government has evolved from being an operator of analogue voice telephony services
to regulator of digital convergent multimedia services. Although the pace of change has
varied between countries, the liberalization of telecommunication markets has been a
common trend in both developed and developing countries worldwide.
Issues concerning the need for and scope of review of the ITRs were considered by ITU at
its Minneapolis (1998) and Marrakech (2002) Plenipotentiary Conferences, but consensus
to establish, scope and implement a review has been difficult to achieve, due to the variety
of perspectives on the ITRs held by ITU Member States.
www.itu.int/wtpf2009
This Background Paper is for information only. Source: Secretary-General
The Antalya Plenipotentiary Conference 2006 (PP-06) made substantial progress,
embodied in Resolution 146 (Antalya, 2006) Review of the International Telecommunication
Regulations, by reaching consensus on a review process that respects the divergent
opinions among Member States regarding the future treatment of the ITRs.
The way forward
Resolution 146, recognizing the extent and complexity of discussions on the ITRs since
1998, resolves that the ITRs should be reviewed and, inter alia, that the fourth WTPF
should consider emerging policy and regulatory issues with respect to international
telecommunication networks and services for the purpose of understanding them and
possibly developing opinions as appropriate.
Some of the issues that ITU Members may wish to consider in the context of any preparations
for a revision of the ITRs include:
• Requirements to apply the ITU-T Recommendations relating to safety of life, priority
telecommunications, disaster recovery and emergency telecommunications
• Countermeasures to deal with spam and related issues (such as phishing, malware,
etc.)
• Changes to the definition of “technical harm” to include spam, malware, etc., as
defined in relevant ITU-T Recommendations, as well as malicious code transmitted
by any telecommunication facility or technology, including the Internet and Internet
Protocol
• Settlement of disputes, in particular to address problems raised by unequal
bargaining powers at the international level between operators
• Expansion of the concept of “harm” to include financial matters
• The need for measures regarding misuse of facilities and/or numbering resources
– for example, the use of networks with the intention of avoiding payment (or by
making someone else pay), or the use of numbering resources in a way that does
not conform to ITU-T Recommendations’ assignment criteria
• Quality of service
• Alternative calling procedures on international telecommunication networks
• Cybersecurity, including security of data, of signalling and traffic information, and of
billing information
• Issues raised by new practices such as “hubbing”, where traffic is routed to final
destinations via a transit centre (hub), with payment being made solely to this hub,
rather than to the final call destination
• Appropriate use of billing models, such as sender-keeps-all.
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