Department of Telecommunications and National Disaster Management Authority are conducting a nationwide drill of the Cell Broadcast Alert System.
Test alerts—loud beeps/vibrations and messages in multiple languages—will be sent via the ‘SACHET’ system to assess performance.
Authorities said messages are part of routine testing, may be received multiple times, and require no action from users.
Nationwide Emergency Alert Drill To Trigger Test Messages On Phones
DoT-NDMA testing Cell Broadcast system; public may receive multiple alerts, no action required
Summary
As part of a government initiative, phones nationwide are expected to receive an emergency alert notification accompanied by a loud beeping or vibration. This is a part of a drill of the Cell Broadcast Alert System on Saturday to test emergency communication systems.
The Department of Telecommunications, in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority, is conducting mobile alert drills to strengthen disaster communication systems across the country.
The alerts are being sent through the Integrated Alert System ‘SACHET’, developed by the Centre for Development of Telematics, which enables authorities to deliver geo-targeted emergency messages to mobile users via SMS according to a PIB report.
The system is operational across all States and Union Territories and is designed to ensure the timely dissemination of critical information during disasters.
As part of a nationwide rollout, the Department of Telecommunications is conducting trials of the Cell Broadcast (CB) alert system to assess its performance before formal launch.
During the testing phase, the public may receive “test messages” in English, Hindi and regional languages on mobile devices with Cell Broadcast alerts enabled. Users may receive multiple alerts as part of the exercise to ensure the system functions effectively across networks.
Authorities have clarified that these are routine test messages and do not require any action from recipients.
As per the press release, the content of the test message will be as follows:
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 of the Cell Broadcast solution, you may receive this message multiple times on your mobile handset. Please ignore these message(s); no action is required at your end.
Once successfully tested and operationalised, the CB system will be used to disseminate alerts in multiple Indian languages across all mobile handsets— regardless of test channel settings—ensuring a wide and inclusive public reach during actual emergencies.
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