Emergency Test Alert Triggers Loud Beep On Phones Nationwide

A loud warning tone and flash "Test Alert" message appeared on mobile phones across India on Thursday, February 20, as authorities carried out another nationwide test of the emergency alert system aimed at improving disaster preparedness.

At around 11.58 am, both Android and iPhone users reported receiving the notification accompanied by a sharp beep. The message, sent as a cell broadcast, stated that it was issued by the National Disaster Management Authority in coordination with the Department of Telecommunications under the Government of India.

The notification read, "This is a TEST Cell Broadcast message sent by the National Disaster Management Authority in coordination with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India as part of testing the Cell Broadcast solution for disseminating alerts. During the testing phase, you may receive this message multiple times on your mobile handset. Please ignore these messages as no action is required at your end."

According to officials, the Cell Broadcast system is being tested as part of efforts to strengthen India's existing disaster alert infrastructure. The National Disaster Management Authority has already operationalised the Integrated Alert System (SACHET), developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) based on the Common Alerting Protocol recommended by the International Telecommunication Union.

Currently active across all 36 States and Union Territories, SACHET enables disaster management authorities to send geo-targeted emergency alerts via SMS to citizens in affected areas and has been used to issue over 6,899 crore alerts in more than 19 Indian languages during natural disasters, weather warnings and cyclonic events.

The ongoing Cell Broadcast testing is aimed at further enhancing this capability by enabling real-time alerts to be delivered directly to mobile handsets during emergencies such as earthquakes, tsunamis and flash floods. Authorities have cautioned that users may receive such alerts multiple times during the validation phase as mobile towers, also known as Base Station Transceivers, are tested across networks.

The Department of Telecommunications has urged the public to cooperate during this testing phase, reiterating that all such test messages are meant solely for system validation and do not require any action from recipients.