Emergency Alert on phone
On October 10, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) distributed a trial “Emergency Alert.”
“This is a sample testing message sent through the Cell Broadcasting System by the Department of Telecommunication, Government of India,” the message read. As there is nothing you need to do, disregard this message.
The message appears to have been distributed to Indian citizens nationwide as a test of the National Disaster Management Authority’s (NDMA) Emergency Alert System.
Thus, there is no need for the recipients to be worried or to respond in any way. Such testing is intended to “improve public safety and provide timely alert during emergencies,” according to the message.
Ongoing actions
On September 15 of last month, a similar broadcast test was also carried out. The Cell Broadcasting System of the DoT had previously stated that such tests would be conducted periodically in various regions to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of mobile operators’ and cell broadcast systems’ emergency warning broadcasting capabilities.
On the project, the government and NDMA collaborate closely. It will be put to use during calamities like earthquakes, flash floods, and tsunamis, among other situations.
Furthermore, DoT stated in a statement dated July 20 that “these evaluations will occur on a regular basis across various regions of the country.” The purpose of the study, it continued, is to “evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the emergency alert broadcasting capabilities of the mobile operators and cell broadcast systems already in place.”
The Department of Transport (DoT) highlights that the cell broadcast alert system is a technology that enables the government to transmit urgent information regarding crisis management to every mobile device in a certain area, regardless of whether the users are locals or just passing through.
