Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

Last updated
Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation
AbbreviationCTO
Formation11 May 1948(75 years ago) (1948-05-11)
Type International organization
Purpose Telecommunications
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°29′40″N0°13′53″W / 51.4945173°N 0.2314831°W / 51.4945173; -0.2314831
Area served
Commonwealth of Nations
Membership
33 full state members
Secretary-General
Bernadette Lewis
Website www.cto.int
Sketch map of the All Red Line drawn in 1902 or 1903 All Red Line.jpg
Sketch map of the All Red Line drawn in 1902 or 1903

The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) traces to the British Empire's Pacific Cable Board in 1901, though in its current form, was created by international treaty, the Commonwealth Telegraphs Agreement between Commonwealth nations signed in London on 11 May 1948. [1]

Contents

The CTO connects government and non-government entities to enhance cooperation in information and communication technology (ICT). [2]

History

To oversee the completion of the All Red Line telegraph system interlinking the British Empire, the Pacific Cable Board was formed in 1901. [3]

In the final years of the British Empire, with a number of states federated or close to independence, a treaty with clearer financial divisions, responsibilities, and governance was established that would eventually replace the Pacific Cable Board. The Commonwealth Telegraph Agreement was signed between Commonwealth nations in London, 1948 that formed the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation. [3]

Members

The government members of the CTO are: [4]

Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana
Flag of India.svg  India Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis Flag of Samoa.svg  Samoa
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago Flag of Tuvalu.svg  Tuvalu Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia
Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda (Affiliate)Flag of Gibraltar.svg  Gibraltar (Affiliate)Flag of Montserrat.svg  Montserrat (Affiliate)
Flag of Saint Helena.svg  Saint Helena (Affiliate)
Flag of the Bahamas.svg  The Bahamas (ICT Sector)Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia (ICT Sector)Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe (ICT sector)

ICT sector members include Avanti Communications, British Telecom, Facebook, Huawei, Intelsat, PwC London, Safaricom, and Vodafone. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Europe</span> International organization founded in 1949

The Council of Europe is an international organisation established in the wake of World War II to uphold human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. Founded in 1949, it brings together 46 member states with a population of approximately 675 million as of 2023; it operates with an annual budget of approximately 500 million euros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITU-T</span> Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunication Union

The International Telecommunication Union Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) is one of the three Sectors (branches) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). It is responsible for coordinating standards for telecommunications and Information Communication Technology, such as X.509 for cybersecurity, Y.3172 and Y.3173 for machine learning, and H.264/MPEG-4 AVC for video compression, between its Member States, Private Sector Members, and Academia Members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Telecommunication Union</span> Specialized agency of the United Nations

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Union, significantly predating the UN and making it the oldest UN agency. Doreen Bogdan-Martin is the Secretary-General of ITU, the first woman to serve as its head.

Telecommunications had an early beginning in Mauritius, with the first telephone line installed in 1883, seven years after the invention of the telephone. Over the years, the network and telephony improved. By the late 20th century, the rapid development and convergence of information and telecommunications technologies gave rise to an ICT industry on the island along with many incentives provided by the government. The government thus aims to make the ICT sector the 5th pillar of the Mauritian economy and Mauritius a Cyber Island. Historically, the country is known for tourism, rather than its call centers and business process outsourcing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Telecommunications Satellite Organization</span>

The European Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation consisting of 49 member states. It is headquartered in Paris, France. The mission of EUTELSAT IGO is to maintain the rights to use radio frequencies and orbital locations which were assigned collectively to the Member States by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and to oversee the operations of Eutelsat S.A. so as to ensure that the company complies with the international EUTELSAT Convention. EUTELSAT IGO plays an active role within the global telecommunications community and is a key actor in the satellite business sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telekom Malaysia</span> Malaysian telecommunications company

Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) is a Malaysian telecommunications company founded in 1984. Beginning as the national telecommunications company for fixed line, radio, and television broadcasting services, it has evolved to become the country's largest provider of broadband services, data, fixed line, pay television, and network services. TM ventured into the LTE space with the launch of TMgo, its 4G offering. TM's 850 MHz service was rebranded as unifi Mobile in January 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Red Line</span> System of electrical telegraphs that linked the British Empire

The All Red Line was a system of electrical telegraphs that linked much of the British Empire. It was inaugurated on 31 October 1902. The informal name derives from the common practice of colouring the territory of the British Empire red or pink on political maps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overseas Telecommunications Commission</span> Australian government enterprise

The Overseas Telecommunications Commission (OTC) was established by Australia in August 1946. It inherited facilities and resources from Amalgamated Wireless Australasia (AWA) and Cable & Wireless, and was charged with responsibility for all international telecommunications services into, through and out of Australia. In effect, all overseas telecommunications was nationalized. Australia was adopting a Commonwealth-wide policy that had been adopted at the Commonwealth conference in 1945. The main goal was to end the artificial routing of traffic to cable or wireless depending on private financial profits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines</span> Former Australian–British airline

British Commonwealth Pacific Airlines or BCPA, was an airline registered in New South Wales, Australia in June 1946 with headquarters in Sydney. It was formed by the governments of Australia (50%), New Zealand (30%) and the United Kingdom (20%) to pursue trans-Pacific flights. BCPA was later taken over by Qantas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

New Zealand–United Kingdom relations are the bilateral relations between New Zealand and the United Kingdom. New Zealand has maintained a close relationship with Britain, since gaining independence from the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malaysia–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Malaysia–United Kingdom relations are bilateral foreign relations between Malaysia and the United Kingdom. Malaysia has a high commission in London, and the United Kingdom has a high commission in Kuala Lumpur. Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commonwealth of Nations</span> Political association of mostly former British Empire territories

The Commonwealth of Nations, often simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which it developed. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat, which focuses on intergovernmental aspects, and the Commonwealth Foundation, which focuses on non-governmental relations among member states. Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth.

The Indian Telecommunications Service, widely known as ITS, and earlier known as 'Telegraph Engineering Service Class I' is one of the Central Civil Services under Group 'A' of the executive branch of the Government of India. The appointment to this service is done through Combined Engineering Services Exam held every year by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) of India. The service was created to meet the techno managerial needs of the government in areas related to telecommunications. The Department of Telecommunications (DOT) had been managed for years by the officers of this permanent cadre, called the Indian Telecommunications Service (ITS).The officers of ITS work under restrictions and rules of Central Civil Services (Conduct) rules.

The Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) is the regulatory authority for the ICT industry in Kenya with responsibilities in telecommunications, e-commerce, broadcasting and postal/courier services. The CA is also responsible for managing the country's numbering and frequency spectrum resources, administering the Universal Service Fund (USF) as well as safeguarding the interests of users of ICT services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andile Ngcaba</span> South African businessman (born 1956)

Andile Abner Ngcaba is a South African businessman who has devoted most of his life and career to the field of technology, in particular communications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grenada–United Kingdom relations</span> Bilateral relations

Grenada–United Kingdom relations are bilateral relations between Grenada and the United Kingdom. Grenada has a high commission in London. The United Kingdom has a high commission in St. George's. Both countries are full members of the Commonwealth of Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anusha Rahman</span> Pakistani politician

Anusha Rahman Ahmad Khan is a Pakistani politician who served as Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, in Abbasi cabinet from April 2018 to May 2018. Previously she served as the Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan from June 2013 to July 2017 in the third Sharif ministry and again from August 2017 to April 2018 in the Abbasi ministry. She had been a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to May 2018 representing the Pakistan Muslim League (N).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Cyprus</span> British colony from 1878–1960

British Cyprus was the island of Cyprus under the dominion of the British Empire, administered sequentially from 1878 to 1914 as a British protectorate, from 1914 to 1925 as a unilaterally annexed military occupation, and from 1925 to 1960 as a Crown colony. Following the London and Zürich Agreements of 19 February 1959, Cyprus became an independent republic on 16 August 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CANZUK</span> Proposed international alliance

CANZUK is an acronym for a proposed alliance comprising Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as part of an international organisation or confederation similar in scope to the former European Economic Community. This includes increased trade, foreign policy co-operation, military co-operation and mobility of citizens between the four states, tied together by similar economic systems, social values and political and legal systems, in addition to the majority population of each country speaking English. The idea is lobbied by the advocacy group CANZUK International and supported primarily by conservatives. Other supporters include think tanks such as the Adam Smith Institute, the Henry Jackson Society, Bruges Group and politicians from the four countries.

References

  1. "Commonwealth Telegraphs Agreement, and Protocol [1957] ATS 21". www3.austlii.edu.au. Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  2. "About - CTO: Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation". www.cto.int. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The CTO – a brief history | CTO: Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation". www.cto.int. Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  4. "Our members - CTO: Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation". www.cto.int. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  5. "ICT Sector Members - CTO: Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation". www.cto.int. Retrieved 19 June 2017.

See also