that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . may 2014 learn how and when to remove this template message commonwealth telecommunications organisation type international section non government organisation headquarters london united kingdom website http www.cto.int the commonwealth telecommunications organisation cto is an international development partnership between commonwealth and non commonwealth governments business and civil society organisations . it is based in london uk . contents 1 history 2 background 2.1 mission & vision 2.2 strategic plan 2.3 governance 2.4 priority areas 2.4.1 mobile broadband 2.4.2 cybersecurity and cyber crime 2.4.3 icts and disability 2.4.4 regulatory 2.4.5 skills development 2.4.6 youth and icts 3 membership 3.1 cto s member 3.2 membership benefits 3.3 partnership 4 event 4.1 past event 5 training 6 research 7 activities 8 references 9 external links history edit the commonwealth telecommunications organisation cto traces its origins to the creation of the pacific cable board 1 in 1901 . in 1896 the pacific cable committee had been formed to consider how the last element of a global electrical telegraph network connecting all parts of what was then the british empire could be completed across the pacific . by 1872 messages had been able to be sent from london to adelaide or sydney and australia had been linked to new zealand by cable in 1876 but there was no connection across the pacific to the west coast of canada . following the committee s deliberations a pacific cable board was created in 1901 consisting of eight members three from britain two from canada two from australia and one from new zealand and work commenced on laying the cable in 1902 . subsequently in 1928 the imperial communications advisory committee 2 was formed to advise the british government on technical as well as international and commonwealth issues . chaired by a cabinet minister it comprised members of the defence services the post office and the commonwealth . in 1944 this committee became renamed the commonwealth communications council and in 1949 it became the commonwealth telecommunications board.this coincided with the london declaration 3 of 1949 which paved the way for a new kind of commonwealth based upon membership of the newly independent countries that had once been part of the british empire . subsequent changes in the central organisation for the commonwealth s telecommunications sector closely reflected the growth and change of both the commonwealth and also the telecommunications industry over the next fifty years . in 1965 an important commonwealth telecommunications conference 4 was held in london which reconvened in 1966 and recommended that a new commonwealth telecommunications organisation cto should be established consisting of a council composed of members of partner governments and a bureau based in london under the control and direction of the council . the first meeting of the cto s council took place in 1967 and in 1968 the commonwealth telecommunications act 5 repealed the provisions relating to the commonwealth telecommunications board replacing these with provision for a new legal entity to be known as the commonwealth telecommunications bureau which took over the old board s functions in 1969 . in the same year a commonwealth telecommunications organisation financial agreement 6 was put in place to provide a new unified accounting mechanism for the organisation and this was superseded by new agreements in 1973 and in1983 . at its annual conference in 1992 7 member governments agreed to council s proposal that the scope of the organisation s programme for development and training pdt should be expanded while terminating the cto s preferential adjustments under the commonwealth accounting arrangements . funding thereafter became a central issue of concern and during the mid 1990s australia and new zealand widthrew from the organisation largely because of their concerns over proposals for financial contributions with canada subsequently withdrawing in 2001 . in its modern form the cto has therefore existed since 1967 as an international treaty organisation independent of the commonwealth secretariat and with diplomatic status in its host country the uk . its constitution was first agreed by commonwealth governments in ottawa in 1972 and has been revised subsequently on various occasions . the current constitution 8 and the rules of procedure 8 of the cto came into force in 2002 . the cto is currently governed by its council with an executive committee overseeing the activities of the secretariat between council meetings . formerly based in central london its offices are now located to the west of the city in hammersmith . background edit mission & vision edit the cto is the largest and oldest commonwealth membership organisation committed to using information and communication technologies icts appropriately and effectively for development ict4d . cto s mission is to promote facilitate and guide members in using icts to deliver effective development interventions . cto s vision is to be the preferred partner organisation for governments the private sector and civil society in delivering effective icts for development ict4d in the commonwealth and beyond . the cto seeks to work collaboratively with other commonwealth bodies to build mutually beneficial synergies in the interests of its members . the cto has a key role to play in leading ict4d initiatives across the commonwealth and it is committed to working together with other commonwealth entities to reduce overlap and replication of activities . the cto welcomes the opportunity to offer secretariat support to any commonwealth ict initiatives that reflect the needs and interests of its members . the cto adopts a broad definition of development . while recognising the current dominant understanding of development which interprets it largely as economic growth the cto also supports the use of icts to deliver social cultural and political dimensions of development . to this end the cto s approach detailed in our current strategic plan can be summarised as encapsulating the four e s of emancipating enriching equalising and empowering . strategic plan edit the cto is an international organisation committed to supporting its members in using information and communication technologies icts appropriately and effectively for development ict4d . during the strategic plan period 2012 13 2015 16 the cto s activities will be focused around delivering five main interlinked outputs vibrant cto membership committed to its vision enhanced ict4d capacity development amongst members more effective multi stakeholder ict4d partnerships operating in commonwealth countries greater engagement by the private sector in ict4d initiatives in commonwealth countries cto as thought leader in 6 niche areas of expertise underlying all of these a sixth crucial element of the plan is to have a robust cto secretariat capable of delivering transparently and professionally on the needs of its members . the cto s six niche areas of focus are broadband especially mobile broadband 9 for rural development including food security cybersecurity 10 and cybercrime icts for people with disabilities 11 regulatory 12 environments including convergence and digital broadcasting switchover the use of icts in education 13 with particular reference to skills development and entrepreneurship youth and icts 14 governance edit the cto governance is based on the cto constitution 15 the rules of procedure 16 the cto ethical framework 17 the constitution and the rules of procedure were adopted in 2002 by the cto council while the ethical framework was adopted in 2012 . at its council meeting in october 2012 in mauritius the council adopted revisions to the constitution that were recommended to it by a working group of council members . primarily the cto s governance is exercised through four organs council consisting of representatives nominated by full member countries the council is the highest policy making body of the cto . it meets annually to examine the progress of the organisation and to suggest future programmes . council elects the chairperson the first vice chairperson and the second vice chairperson of the cto who hold office for one year . executive committee exco consisting of the chairperson the first vice chairperson the second vice chairperson a sector member representing the development partners a sector member representing the industry partners the immediate past chairperson the chairperson of the programme for development and training and the secretary general the exco oversees the activities of the cto between council meetings . forum held annually immediately preceding the council meeting the forum is the platform for sector members to examine issues critically important to them . forum also elects the sector member representatives to the exco . secretariat headed by the secretary general the secretariat is the body that delivers the mandate of the organisation by implementing the agreed work programme . priority areas edit mobile broadband edit the broadband commission 18 consisting of ict sector stakeholders established by un s international telecommunication union itu has set four clear targets for making broadband policy universal and for boosting affordability and broadband uptake target 1 making broadband policy universal . by 2015 all countries should have a national broadband plan or strategy or include broadband in their universal access service definitions . target 2 making broadband affordable . by 2015 entry level broadband services should be made affordable in developing countries through adequate regulation and market forces amounting to less than 5 % of average monthly income . target 3 connecting homes to broadband . by 2015 40 % of households in developing countries should have internet access . target 4 getting people online . by 2015 internet user penetration should reach 60 % worldwide 50 % in developing countries and 15 % in ldcs . given the constraints of existing infrastructures these ambitious targets can only be achieved through an expansion in the provision of mobile broadband services in the form of wireless internet access through a portable or mobile device . for poorer countries without extensive fixed line infrastructure mobile broadband technologies are an effective way through which they can achieve the delivery of high speed internet access to mass markets thereby ensuring that their populations can utilise the development benefits of such technologies . many companies and organisations have come together to form the third generation partnership project 19 3gpp to develop a series of standards that provide the basis of third generation 3g mobile broadband technologies including edge enhanced data for gsm evolution cdma2000 1x evdo 20 evolution data optimised wcdma 21 wideband code division multiple access or w cdma umts hspa 22 universal mobile telecommunication system high speed packet access and more recently lte 23 long term evolution and 4g . mobile broadband is a key focus of the cto s work due to the potential it has to promote further development across the world ; a world in which the uptake of smart phones exceeds that of personal computers in many countries . smart mobile devices and a multitude of digital applications have enabled users to run their businesses access financial and health records conduct research and complete transactions using their mobile devices . this has also meant a major shift in consumer expectations and requiring manufacturers to adopt new technologies like nfc near field communications and to develop handsets continually to meet consumer expectations . the cto works with all stakeholders to encourage the rapid and effective roll out of mobile broadband . we place particular emphasis on this because mobile infrastructure and devices have the potential to provide broadband access to as many people as possible in the shortest time . the cto has a wealth of expertise and experience in this field and has successfully delivered international conferences capacity development training programmes and many research projects . the focus of the cto forum 2012 in mauritius for example was mobile broadband for development and other events such as the pacific broadband forum jointly organised by itu and the cto in 2012 also addressed this important theme . in particular the cto is especially interested in ways through which mobile broadband can be used to enhance