The Centre has launched a nationwide Cell Broadcast System (CBS), a telecom-based alert mechanism that sends emergency warnings directly to mobile phones in specific areas.
The system was developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the ministry of home affairs (MHA).
CBS allows authorities to push alerts to all phones within a defined location at the same time, unlike SMS alerts which can get delayed or queued.
A nationwide test was carried out on Saturday, with users across the country receiving test alerts around noon.
The new system is built on top of the existing Integrated Alert System or the SACHET platform, which already sends disaster alerts via SMS.
CBS works across 2G to 5G networks and is designed to reach everyone in a target area, including people who are roaming.
