Today, the Indian Government Conducted a Nationwide Test Emergency Alert on Smartphones, Stating “Emergency Alert: Severe,” with a Clarification that It Was Only a Test, Requiring No Action from Recipients.
On Friday morning, a significant number of mobile users across India received a severe emergency alert from the government as part of a test for the country’s new emergency alert system, which is being implemented by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). This test message was sent to a random selection of smartphones throughout India, prompting the devices to emit a loud beep and display a flash message reading “emergency alert: severe.” The purpose of this test, conducted by the NDMA, was to evaluate the efficacy of the alert system and identify any potential issues.
Additionally, the Department of Telecommunication (C-DOT) sent a test flash message today to numerous mobile users on different telecom operators in India. This message was transmitted between 12:00 PM and 12:44 PM IST through the Cell Broadcasting System, and it explicitly informed recipients that it was a test and no action was necessary.
One such flash message received by multiple smartphone users read as follows: “Emergency alert: SEVERE… This is a SAMPLE TESTING MESSAGE sent through the Cell Broadcasting System by the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India. Please disregard this message as no action is required on your part. This message has been sent to evaluate the Pan-India Emergency Alert System being implemented by the National Disaster Management Authority. It aims to enhance public safety and provide timely alerts during emergencies. Timestamp: 15-09-2023 12:19 PM #0888758.”
It’s worth noting that a similar flash message was sent to many users a few weeks ago. According to the Department of Telecommunications Cell Broadcasting System, they plan to conduct similar tests periodically in various regions to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of mobile operators’ emergency warning broadcast capabilities and cell broadcast systems.
Discussing the test earlier, Rajkumar Upadhyay, the Chief Executive Officer of C-DOT, informed PTI that the technology for cell broadcasting is currently sourced from a foreign vendor, but C-DOT is actively working on developing it internally. Upadhyay stated, “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 also mentioned the need to develop various versions of cell broadcast messages for propagation through the telecom network.
