European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations

The European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) is a coordinating body for European state telecommunications and postal organizations, created in 1959. CEPT played a role in the creation of the European Telecommunications Satellite Organization (EUTELSAT) in 1977, with 17 European countries as members, to establish a European telecommunications satellite system. It also helped establish a common European policy for negotiations with the United States regarding satellite communications. CEPT's work led to the development of the first European telecommunications satellite, OTS-1, developed by ESRO and launched by ESA in 1977.