International Telecommunications Coordination Agency
From Scandia
ITCA, the International Telecommunications Coordination Agency, is an independent agency of the World Economic Organization (WEO). ITCA develops regulatory guidance for the interconnection and global networking of national telecommunications infrastructure.
Headquartered in Nova Valens, Schwerdt, ITCA membership is open to all national telecommunications regulatory bodies regardless of WEO membership status. ITCA's purpose is to provide for the smooth interconnection and interoperability of telephony through the establishment of consensus standards. National telecommunications regulatory bodies maintain their autonomy as ITCA has no authority to regulate any country's internal affairs.
ITCA also provides guidance and recommended practices for telecommunications research and development programs. Its initiatives foster both competition and cooperation amongst global telecommunications providers.
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Structure
The ITCA Council, comprised of representatives from up to 25% of the member organizations, considers broad telecommunications policy between conferences of all member representatives. The Council also sees to the smooth operation of day-to-day affairs of ITCA.
A Secretariat provides administrative support and cross-divisional coordination of the organization's works. Because of the technical nature of ITCA's activities, highly specialized staff work in one of three divisions:
- Radiocommunications—manages the radio-frequency spectrum and coordinates satellite orbits.
- Telecom Standardization—studies technical, operating, and tariff matters so as to recommend global telecommunications standards for adoption byt the ITCA Council or annual Plenipotentiary Conferences of all members.
- Telecom Development—establishes programs to facilitate connectivity and access for both future technologies and, especially, with current technologies amongst developing nations.
ITCA's Role
Although involved in the mundane details that permit modern telecommunications, ITCA is best known for the international dialing country codes. Under this scheme, a unique dialing code connects callers to the national telephone network of the desired country.
Hundreds of standards developed and adopted by the organization are transparent to most users, but are essential for the success of the global network.
