Within weeks, a disaster alert that notifies the public about the outbreak of war or a pandemic will be tested for the first time. A “national warning message” will be delivered immediately to every mobile phone in the United Kingdom later this month or early March. A public relations effort will warn people to expect the alert and not to panic if they receive it.
Authorities believe the test may be the only time a nationwide message is transmitted, but it will show that the new technology can reach every area of the country.
Alerts can also be restricted to certain locations by managing the mobile phone masts from which they broadcast. In practice, the system is as follows:
The government previously issued a national text message instructing people to stay at home during the outset of the Covid crisis in March 2020, but this was only achievable with the help of mobile phone providers. Rather than sending a text message, the new emergency alert makes use of an app available on the Android and Apple iPhone operating systems. This can be turned off in phone settings, but many phone users are unaware they have it installed.
One advantage is that the system is not affected by the volume of phone calls, which is likely to grow if people fear an emergency is imminent.
A link to a website with extra information can be included in the message. “Hopefully, this will be the only time we ever need to deliver a nationwide message,” a source added. Officials say there will be a “extremely high threshold” for issuing an alarm, which will only happen if lives are in danger.