By Javier Surasky
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is the specialized agency of the United Nations for information and communication technologies. Its relevance has grown with technological development, and today it is responsible for regulating radiofrequency and satellite orbits, achieving equipment interoperability, and developing global technological standards for communication and operation for technologies such as mobile telephony and artificial intelligence.
Its main body is the World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), which meets every four years. During these
conferences, its 194 member countries review and update the Radio Regulations,
the international treaty that governs the use of the radiofrequency spectrum
and satellite orbits globally.
The selection of the venue for the next
WRC, scheduled to take place between late October and early November 2027, has
offered a significant lesson in current international politics. The event has been described as a
"global battleground for future communication technologies and the control
of outer space," primarily due to the technological competition between
the United States and China, which has transformed a traditionally technical
forum into a highly politically sensitive arena.
Originally, Rwanda was the only country
that had offered to host the next WRC. However, Rwanda withdrew its offer a
week before the official decision was to be made, following a late proposal
from China to host the meeting. The decision regarding the WRC meeting place
has historically been made by consensus. However, the United States' opposition
to China hosting the event disrupted this tradition.
The United States suggested that, in the
absence of consensus, the meeting should be held in Geneva, the city where the
ITU headquarters are located. They even offered Washington as a possible venue,
arguing it would commemorate the centenary of the 1927 International
Radiotelegraphy Conference held there. India also offered New Delhi to host the
conference, attempting to break the deadlock.
The inability to reach an agreement led
to the decision being made by a vote for the first time in ITU’s history. This
unprecedented situation signals an increasingly complex future for
international scientific cooperation, which has become central to the rivalry
between the world's most powerful nations. Digital infrastructure and control
of the radio telegraphic spectrum are now national security priorities and
tools for projecting power. The choice of an international conference venue has
been transformed into an instrument of soft power and a reflection of
geopolitical trust or distrust between countries.
The secret ballot among the 48 members
of the ITU Council resulted in 25 votes in favor of China, 17 against, 5
abstentions, and 1 invalid vote. Immediately after the results were
announced, the United States indicated that its participation in the conference
would be difficult. This decision now requires endorsement by a simple majority
of ITU members at their 2026 conference in Qatar.
The primary risk is that these factors
will hinder the international community's ability to address pressing and
global challenges related to new technologies, such as the digital divide, cybersecurity, and the
ethical application of AI. This could lead to a world with incompatible
technological standards, forcing developing countries to choose between them,
thereby increasing operational costs and hindering innovation.
What interests us now is understanding
the reasons behind this decision. We believe there are at least four highly
significant reasons:
- Definition of Baselines for New Technologies and Their Uses: Firstly, the 2027 WRC will not be just another meeting. Its agenda includes initiating a new cycle of technical studies on the radiographic spectrum, commencing a process that could lead to a roadmap for regulating and distributing spectrum bands to support future mobile technologies, such as 6G. It will also discuss issues like connectivity between satellites and mobile phones, known as Direct-to-Device (D2D) , all of which are central to technological competition in the coming years.
- United States' Hostility towards Multilateralism: This has created an initial bias against the U.S. across the entire system. Furthermore, the country shows a decline in participation in UN system entities.
- The Trump Administration's Disregard for Fostering Alliances: The foreign policy of the current U.S. government has led to a weakening of its alliances with various countries and regions. In the vote, European countries aligned with the United States, while African countries and Iran supported China, and Arab countries abstained. It is unclear how Latin American and Caribbean countries voted, but it is understood that their votes were divided.
- China's Political Use of International
Cooperation: For some time, China has
been using its international cooperation and economic resources to
strengthen its global influence, particularly in Africa. Africa has the
largest number of votes (member countries) in the UN General Assembly and
in many UN system entities and specialized agencies, including the ITU.
These four "baseline" reasons
will be a constant in multilateralism's work in the coming months and years, setting the
geopolitical pace between the powers. With nuances, we may also see them in
situations such as the election of the next UN Secretary-General in 2026.
The tension between conflict and
cooperation always reappears, and those at the international
decision-making table should not forget the depth of their connections.