India withdraws bid for top global telecom post, misses return after six decades

Summary

New Delhi pulls Revathi Mannepalli's candidature for Radiocommunication Bureau director just days before the Doha election, surprising industry experts.

In a surprising turn of events, India has withdrawn its candidature for a top leadership position at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) just days before elections -- despite hopes of securing the post for the first time in six decades.

The decision follows interventions by the ministry of external affairs (MEA), leading the department of telecommunications (DoT) to inform the ITU last week that it will not contest the election, according to two people familiar with the matter. The UN agency is responsible for coordinating global telecommunications.

In 2025, the Centre nominated Revathi Mannepalli, joint wireless adviser at the DoT, as its candidate for director of the Radiocommunication Bureau (BR) at the ITU, one of the agency's five top leadership positions. BR governs and regulates the international use of radio-frequency spectrum, covering mobile networks, satellite constellations and orbital slots, as well as aviation and scientific research.

The post is particularly crucial as satellite filings with the ITU reach record levels, intensifying coordination challenges and complaints over frequency interference among operators such as Starlink and others entering the race.

"ITU can confirm that the candidacy of Revathi Mannepalli for director of the Radiocommunication Bureau has been withdrawn. The PP-26 (plenipotentiary conference) election page is being updated accordingly to provide the current slate of candidates for all elected positions," it said in response to Mint's emailed queries on Monday.

The elections, scheduled for later this month in Doha, Qatar, will select the UN agency's leadership and council members for a four-year term from 2027 to 2030. India remains in the running for a seat on the 48-member ITU Council, for which its candidacy stands, according to the ITU website.

Mannepalli would have contested against two European candidates: Eric Fournier of France and Alexander Kuhn of Germany. Had she won, she would have become the first woman director and the first person from Asia, Australasia and Africa to lead the BR.

"These decisions are taken at the MEA level, which includes diplomatic negotiations with countries on certain grounds," the first person cited above said on the condition of anonymity. This person added that talks about withdrawing Mannepalli's candidature had been underway for some time.

To be sure, India is also lobbying for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) next year, a bid that requires a two-thirds majority of members present and voting in the 193-member General Assembly.

For Mannepalli, the withdrawal cost her not only the position of BR director, but also the opportunity to seek re-election as a member of the ITU Radio Regulations Board (RRB). Over the past year, the government had been promoting her candidacy in global forums and received positive responses from several nations, including Pakistan, Mint reported on 31 August.

Countries acknowledged Mannepalli's profile, which includes 30 years of experience in spectrum management and international arbitration, as well as expertise in satellite communications and frequency management.

Had she been elected, her key priorities included ensuring a balanced approach to innovation, protection from harmful interference, and spectrum sustainability, while promoting the consistent, transparent, and timely application of technology alongside required regulations.

Queries emailed to DoT and the external affairs ministry on Monday were yet to elicit a response at the time of publishing.

Industry caught by surprise

The decision came as a surprise to the industry. "India had high chances of winning the ITU elections for the post of director BR given Ms Revathi's profile and positive response from the countries globally on her candidature. This would have given India an edge to influence global policies with attention to the technology needs of developing and least developed countries," said Bharat Bhatia, president of ITU-APT Foundation of India and vice chairman of the World Wireless Research Forum (WWRF) for the Asia Pacific.

According to Bhatia, it remains to be seen if India fields a candidate in 2030, when it is expected to host the next ITU Plenipotentiary Conference.

India has also been pitching for equitable access to satellite orbital slots. Satellite systems use internationally coordinated radio-frequency spectrum and orbital resources. This means operators entering later must adjust to orbital slots and handle frequency interference with incumbent operators, increasing the risk of market dominance by early entrants such as Starlink.

Jio Platforms has also filed an application with the ITU for orbital slots to deploy its own low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite constellation.

In 1960, India's Manohar Balaji Sarwate first held the post of ITU deputy secretary-general for five years before being elected secretary-general in 1965. Since then, India has fielded candidates for top leadership positions but failed to win them.