Royal Radio

At the dawn of the 20th century, the race to master radio communication was intense. Innovators and industry giants vied for dominance, each seeking to shape the future of this groundbreaking technology. By 1905, several major players had emerged: the de Forest company, Telefunken (advised by Wien, later instrumental in the formation of URSI), and the Marconi company (guided by the insights of Edison and Pupin). Yet, competition led to fragmentation, with Marconi attempting to enforce a closed system—one that could have left distress signals from differently equipped ships unheard.

Recognizing the need for order, the first international administrative conferences on radiocommunication were held, beginning in Berlin in 1903. These gatherings laid the groundwork for standardizing frequency allocation, signal protocols, and data transmissions. However, it was only around 1913 that the scientific community fully realized the necessity of global collaboration—a realization that would ultimately pave the way for URSI.

Long before radio science had the structured collaboration it enjoys today, its pioneers relied on visionary support. One such patron was King Albert I of Belgium, who saw early on the potential of wireless telecommunications. Under his patronage, Belgium became a hub of innovation, hosting crucial development work at Villa Lacoste, near Brussels, within the grounds of the summer palace of Laken. There, a training school for radio operators, advanced workshops, and a cutting-edge research laboratory were established, with Dr. Robert Goldschmidt at the helm.

This privileged communication line—fit for a king—was more than just a royal endeavor. It was a symbol of what could be achieved when scientific ambition met forward-thinking support.

Such early breakthroughs laid the foundation for the structured cooperation that URSI would later champion, ensuring that radio science would not be confined by borders or monopolies, but instead serve the world as a truly universal tool for connection and progress.