Did you receive an emergency alert on your mobile recently? If you have, well, there is no need to panic. The government of India is working with the National Disaster Management Authority to alert users about natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, and flash floods. The emergency alert flash messages is a test carried out by the government.
These tests have been carried out in the months of July and September previously. Many Android and iPhone users got some emergency alerts that caused many to panic as it was not something they expected all of a sudden.
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On Tuesday morning, 10 October 2023, once again many mobile users in India received an emergency alert from the government
The flash message was sent around 11:35 with an emergency beep across Android and iPhone devices. If you received it too, be assured that there is no need to be alarmed. The alert was a test of the country’s new emergency alert system, being carried out by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The emergency alerts emitted a loud beep and displayed a flash message that read “emergency alert: severe.”
The messages were sent to a random sample of smartphones across India. The users happened to receive the message twice, once in English and once in Hindi, a few minutes apart. The beeping stops once you tap OK.
The message informed recipients that it was a test and that no action was required.
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According to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the alert was part of a test to evaluate the effectiveness of the alert system and to determine any potential problems. The message was sent between 11:30 PM and 11:44 PM IST through the Cell Broadcasting System (CBS).
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The flash message read,
“This is a SAMPLE TESTING MESSAGE sent through Cell Broadcasting System by Department of Telecommunication, Government of India. Please ignore this message as no action is required from your end. This message has been sent to test Pan-India Emergency Alert System being implemented by National Disaster Management Authority. It aims to enhance public safety and provide timely alerts during emergencies. Timestamp: 10-10-2023 11:30 AM 11”
DoT CBS (The Department of Telecommunications Cell Broadcasting System) statement on the alert
The Cell Broadcasting System by the Department of Telecommunication said,
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Such tests will be carried out from time to time in different regions to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of the emergency warning broadcast capabilities of mobile
operators and cell broadcast systems
Notably, CBS is a technology that permits mobile operators to send text messages to all mobiles in a specific area, regardless of the mobile network if the phone is switched on. This makes it an ideal technology for sending emergency alerts.
These tests are being conducted by NDMA to ensure that the alert system is working properly so that in the event of a real emergency it can be used to reach people. The tests are also helping the NDMA to identify any areas where the system needs improvement.
Rajkumar Upadhyay, C-DOT’s CEO, earlier said that the technology for cell broadcast is presently only available from foreign vendors, so they are working on developing their own. He stated that cell broadcast is still under development, but NDMA will use it to send alerts straight to mobile phone screens during disasters.
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He told PTI,
“The cell broadcast technology is under development and will be utilized by NDMA to send alerts directly to mobile phone screens during disasters. It is currently undergoing testing on the Jio and BSNL networks”
He further added that there are various versions of the cell broadcast messages that need developing for propagation through the telecom network.
