World Telecommunication Day (WTD) celebrates the advances we have made in how we communicate with each other. It is on May 17 each year because that is the day in 1865 when the International Telegraph Union (ITU) started. The ITU manages how the world shares and uses communications. It has successfully coordinated many important developments in our history. These include the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, the world's first satellite in 1957, and the Internet. The ITU has worked to improve telecommunications in the developing world, and to protect inpiduals and societies from cyber-crime. WTD raises our awareness of the importance of telecommunications in today's global village.

世界电信日庆祝我们与人交流所取得的进步。1865年5月17日国际电报联盟成立，所以世界电信日定在每年的这一天举办。国际电报联盟管理人们分享和使用通信的方式，历史上，它曾多次妥善协调电信业上的重大发展事件。其中包括1876年亚历山大·格雷厄姆·贝尔发明电话，1957年发射世界首颗卫星和互联网的到来。国际电报联盟致力于改善发展中国家的通信状况，保护个人及社会团体免受网络犯罪的伤害。世界电信日提醒我们电信如今在地球村的重要性。


The ITU changed its name to the International Telecommunication Union when technology moved on from telegraphs. Its website says it 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.“ It has 191 member countries and it is “committed to connecting the world“. Today the ITU manages many aspects of our lives. It helps make the rules for broadband Internet and the latest-generation wireless technologies; it helps airplanes and ships navigate the skies and seas; and it oversees the way scientists try to communicate with outer space and possible aliens.

当技术从电报发展起来后，国际电报联盟更名为国际电信联盟，它的网站宣称国际电信联盟是“联合国的主要机构，负责处理信息和通讯技术问题及政府和私营部门在发展网络和服务项目时的全球焦点问题。”国际电信联盟共有191个成员国，致力于沟通世界。现在，国际电信联盟管理我们生活的许多方面。它帮助为宽带网和最新一代的无线技术制定规则，它帮助飞机航行、轮船航海，它监督科学家试图与外太空和可能的外星人联络的交流方式。