CTO Newsletter January 2013 - Commonwealth ...

New CTO Website goes live
The new CTO website went live
on 7th December. The
structure of the website allows
easy navigation for users to
find information about the
governance, operations and
focus areas of the CTO, as well
as sharing our expertise more
widely with the global ICT for
development community. The
new site also makes it easier
for stakeholders to engage with
the CTO as members or users
of the CTO’s various services.
The ICT Data section provides up-to-date ICT-related information
regarding the Commonwealth. This includes indicators regarding the
use of mobiles and the internet, information on the Ministry, Regulator
and Operators, and useful publications relating to each country. These
documents particularly focus on indicators and information relating to the
CTO’s six niche areas for each country in the Commonwealth. The website
also features separate pages on the CTO’s six niche areas, providing
information about the CTO’s engagement in each area, with links to key
readings and other entities engaged in these fields. Importantly the new
website is available in mobile and tablet-formats bringing the site closer to
stakeholders.
Microsoft joins the CTO
In December 2012, Microsoft became the latest entrant to the CTO as an
ICT Sector Member. With its diverse interests in the ICT sector, from
operating systems and communications (through Skype) to security and
resilience (through Trustworthy Computing), Microsoft will add new
impetus to the CTO’s expansion of its operational activities from
telecommunications to ICTs. The last quarter of 2012 saw the entry of
three new ICT Sector Members. BT (formerly British Telecom) rejoined the
CTO, along with Nominet, the .uk domain name registry and Broadband
Infraco, the South African state-owned infrastructure company. The
addition of these companies to CTO’s growing body of ICT sector members,
and the expertise they bring, will further enable the organisation to drive
the Commonwealth’s ICT agenda and bring greater synergies amongst our
members.
Upcoming CTO Events— 8 th Annual Digital Broadcasting Switchover
Forum, Sandton, Johannesburg on 11 th – 13 th February 2013
Topics to be addressed at this year’s event: Infrastructure – Regulation –
Developing Content Libraries - Multi Screen Delivery – Triple and Quad Play
and Investment in Africa and its Digital Industry
Situated in Sandton, Johannesburg, the 2013 Digital Broadcasting
Switchover Forum will present high level speakers from ministerial and
regulatory departments, as well as industry leaders and organisations.
This event has been a robust discussion-based event over the past 7
years, with attendees participating from countries from across Africa,
Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. This year’s event will offer critical
updates and solutions to those dealing with the challenges of the
switchover to digital broadcasting.
The event will create numerous networking opportunities during formal
sessions, as well as at vibrant dinners and functions. In addition, a
dedicated exhibitor platform will be created, giving delegates exposure to
the latest technologies and industry advancements. The 8 th annual DBSF
2013 is currently sponsored by Dolby Laboratories and EchoStar Europe.
Register now to avoid disappointment and visit the CTO’s website for
further information.
Current and Potential Projects
Issue No. 14, December 2012
The 2012 Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum, Africa
The Research and Consultancy (R&C) Division has concluded work on the
Nigeria Nationwide Consumer Satisfaction Survey project. Following Kojo
Boakye’s Final Report presentation to the NCC Management team and
other key stakeholders on 29th November 2012, the CTO submitted the
Final Report to the NCC in December. This Report provides a detailed
analysis of the data collected from 50,000 Nigeria ICT users.
On the Ghana BPO/ITES project, work on the Industry Report is nearing
completion and the team expects to submit the report to the Ministry of
Communication in early January. The Ghana Investment Fund for
Electronic Communications (GIFEC) formally accepted the Strategic
Objectives report. The team is currently developing the Institutional
Report and Business Plan for this project.
The R&C Division had three of its submitted Expressions Of Internet (EOIs)
shortlisted and has been invited to submit full proposals for all three
projects.

CTO Training Programmes Benefited 550 ICT Professionals During 2012
Left: Participants at the DTMS
course held in South Africa, 5 th
November – 14 th December 2012
came from Ministries, operators
and regulators in South Africa,
Botswana, Nigeria and Swaziland,
with trainers from BSNL, India
Training programmes delivered by the CTO’s Capacity Development and
Training (CDT) Division reached 550 ICT professionals from 30 countries
during 2012. CDT programmes, which were delivered in 20 countries,
addressed a wide spectrum of issues, from broadband systems and next
generation networks to regulation and cyber security.
“Our members are committed to using ICTs to accelerate their economic
development, and we are pleased with how many industry professionals
we’ve been able to reach through our programmes in 2012. Of course, we
will spare no effort to do even more in the coming months, as capacity
development has an important place in our members’ growth plans”, said
Marcel Belingue, Senior Programmes Manager at the CTO.
“The geographical spread of our programmes’ reach is consistent with our
membership, and this shows that our efforts are equally aimed at all
members”, Mr Belingue added.
A catalogue of courses offered by the organisation is available online at
www.cto.int/training, and bespoke courses are regularly organised by the
CDT team. For further information, please contact programmes@cto.int.
Number of participants at
CTO courses during 2012
by region.
Tim Unwin and Bashir Patel attended the World Conference on
International Telecommunications (WCIT) which was held over the period
3 rd to 14 th December 2012 in Dubai. The CTO hosted a reception during
the first week of the WCIT, in conjunction with the Internet Society (ISOC).
The reception was very well attended with over 190 delegates including
elected officials of ITU and heads of delegations from member states. The
CTO’s Secretary General, Professor Tim Unwin, and the CEO of the ISOC,
Lynn St. Amour, both gave welcome addresses to the delegates which
were followed by speeches from ITU’s Secretary General Dr Hamadoun
Touré and Malcolm Johnson, Director of the Standardization Bureau. The
purpose of the WCIT meeting was to discuss and update twenty-four-yearold
international telecommunications regulations and to incorporate
legislation covering newer technologies, including the internet, within the
scope of the revised ITU regulations.
Tim Unwin gave a Christmas lecture on "ICTs for what kind of
development?" at the Department of Computer Science, Royal Holloway,
University of London on 11th December 2012.
Tim Unwin in his role as a member of the International Advisory Group for
the Mobilising Knowledge for Development (MK4D) initiative at the
Institute of Development Studies (IDS) attended a planning meeting for
the initiative at IDS's offices in the University of Sussex on 13th-14th
December 2012.
The Communication Multimedia And Infrastucture (CMAI) Association of
India hosted an exhibit by CTO in its pavilion at the 7th Annual India
Telecom, organised by India's Department of Telecommunications (DOT)
from 13th to 15th December 2013. Vineeta Shetty attended the
exhibition and conference, and interacted with various stakeholders from
the DOT, Department of
Electronics and Information
Technology and the private
sector. To the right: Vineeta
Shetty receives a welcome
bouquet on behalf of CTO staff
from Hon. Kapil Sibal, Minister of
Communications and Information
Technology, at the Reverse Buyer
Seller Meet organised by India's
Telecom Export Promotion
Council in New Delhi.
The CTO hosted five Fellows under the Commonwealth Professional
Fellowship programme for the eighth year running. They each worked on
average for three months at the CTO on specific work programmes,
gaining experience in the relevant fields of ICTs and also followed
professional development courses. Speaking on behalf of all the Fellows,
Rachel Alwala from the Communications Commission of Kenya said that
“the time spent at the CTO was both enjoyable and informative. It was
also an occasion to get to know the Organisation and to identify further
ways of working with the CTO.” The Fellows were awarded Participation
Plaques by the Secretary General, Tim Unwin on the 20 th December. He
thanked them for the significant contributions that they made to the CTO
during the time they were here. The CTO wishes these Fellows the very
best for their future:
Rachel Alwala, Communications Commission of Kenya – work
programme on CTO Advisory Groups
Gilbert Mugeni, Communications Commission of Kenya – work
programme on Mobile Broadband
Peter Mbengie, Telecommunications Regulatory Board of Cameroon
– work programme on ICTs for people with disabilities
Richardo Williams, Broadcasting Commission of Jamaica – work
programme on the Digital Broadcasting Switchover Forum,
Caribbean
Thomas Manyanye, Telecommunications Regulatory Board of
Cameroon - work programme on Cybersecurity
Commonwealth Professional Fellows: Gilbert Mugeni, Richardo
Williams, Rachel Alwala and Thomas Manyanye
64-66 Glenthorne Road Hammersmith, London W6 0LR
Compiled from the contributions of all CTO Staff and Management | Please send all questions and comments to: k.french@cto.int
Editor: Katrina French | Design: Osman Siddiqui
www.cto.int