ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Copenhagen Frequency Plan of 1948

When you want to talk to someone on the phone or send a message on your iPad or computer, you need to make sure your signal (or message) doesn't get mixed up with someone else's. So, imagine you and your friends all want to talk at the same time, but you can't understand each other because everyone is talking at once. This is where the Copenhagen Frequency Plan of 1948 comes in.

The Copenhagen Frequency Plan is like a big map that shows different areas where it's okay to talk and where it's not okay to talk on the radio or in other electronic devices. It was made in 1948 by a bunch of smart grown-ups called the International Telecommunication Union. They wanted to make sure that everyone in the world could use their radios and electronic devices without making a big mess of all the signals.

So, imagine your friend lives in another country, and you want to talk to them on your radio. First, you need to make sure your radio is set to the right spot on the Copenhagen Frequency Plan. If you're not in the right spot, you won't be able to hear your friend or they won't be able to hear you.

Now, you may ask, "Why can't everyone just talk on the same spot on the map?" Well, it's like if you go to the park with all your friends, but you all want to play different games. If everyone plays at the same time, it's going to be very noisy and nobody will have any fun. That's why it's important to have different spots on the map for different people to talk on their radios.

The Copenhagen Frequency Plan is important because it helped people all over the world use their radios and electronic devices without making a big mess. Just like how you have different places to play different games with your friends, the Copenhagen Frequency Plan gave everyone a place on the map to talk without disturbing other people's signals.