India tested a new disaster alert system on Saturday morning, sending a loud “Extremely severe alert” message to mobile phones across the country. The test message, starting with the words “Extremely severe alert”, read: “India launches Cell Broadcast using indigenous technology, for instant disaster alerting service for its citizens. Alert citizens, safe nation. No action is required by the public upon receipt of this message. This is a test message. – Government of India.” The alert was part of nationwide trials for a mobile‑based disaster warning system being rolled out by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
The service uses Cell Broadcast technology based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), recommended by the UN’s International Telecommunication Union, and can send alerts in English, Hindi, and regional languages. The government had earlier warned that citizens might receive such test messages multiple times and asked them not to panic or act on them. A similar nationwide emergency‑alert trial had been conducted in February, when both iPhone and Android users received a “Test Alert” notification with a loud beep.
