The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) announced on Monday that it is testing a new mobile alert system in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to send real-time emergency warnings to people across India. This system, named the Cell Broadcast (CB) system, aims to deliver alerts instantly to mobile phones in regions affected by natural disasters or emergencies, including tsunamis, earthquakes, lightning, gas leaks, and chemical hazards.
Unlike standard SMS alerts that are sent individually, the Cell Broadcast system allows messages to reach all mobile phones in a specific area simultaneously, thereby enhancing speed and effectiveness in critical situations. The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) is responsible for the development and implementation of this system. Currently, nationwide testing is underway, expected to extend over the next two to four weeks.
During this testing phase, individuals may receive test messages in English and Hindi on their mobile devices. These messages will explicitly indicate that they are intended for testing purposes only and do not necessitate any action from recipients. It is worth noting that only devices with enabled Cell Broadcast test channels will receive these messages, and some users may receive the same message multiple times as the system undergoes thorough testing across the mobile network, encompassing all base stations and towers.
The NDMA already operates an SMS-based alert system called ‘SACHET,’ which functions in all 36 states and Union Territories. This system, built using the Common Alerting Protocol recommended by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), has sent over 6,899 crore SMS alerts in more than 19 Indian languages during previous disasters and extreme weather events.
Once the Cell Broadcast system testing is complete, it will be integrated with SMS alerts to provide real-time warnings in multiple Indian languages to all mobile users, even those without activated test channels. The government is requesting public cooperation during this testing phase and emphasizes that any received test messages are purely for system performance evaluation and do not signal an actual emergency.
Original Source: https://www.india.com/news/india/govt-begins-testing-new-mobile-alert-system-for-real-time-disaster-warnings-7916996/
Category: India,disaster warnings,mobile alert system,NDMA,telecommunications
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Publish Date: 2025-07-01 01:59:00
