Thai mobile operators will join the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) to conduct the first in a series of tests of a new emergency alert system based on cell broadcast technology on Friday, May 2.
The system works with all major telecom providers, supporting 120 million mobile numbers across both the Android and iOS platforms.
The first test to be conducted on May 2 at 1pm will involve only a handful of provincial halls and their immediate surroundings in Chiang Rai, Ubon Ratchathani, Suphan Buri and Songkhla, and the Government Complex Chaeng Watthana (Buildings A & B) in Bangkok.
The second test, on Wednesday, May 7 at 1pm, will expand coverage to the district level, including Mueang districts in Lampang, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Ratchasima, Surat Thani, and Din Daeng district in Bangkok.
The third and largest test, on Tuesday, May 13 at 1pm, will cover entire provinces: Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Bangkok. The test may also affect some nearby areas.
Phone users will receive the following Thai and English messages on their screens, accompanied by a loud alert sounds:
- “ทดสอบแจ้งเตือนภัย Cell Broadcast จากกรมป้องกันและบรรเทาสาธารณภัย (ปภ.) โปรดอย่าตื่นตระหนก”
- “This is test message from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). No action required.”
Those who will receive the alert will be those who have their phones turned on and connected to a 4G/5G network in the test area. Their mobile devices must be running Android 11 or higher version, or iOS 18 or higher.
Those who will not receive the alert will be users who have their phones turned off, in airplane mode, using WiFi only, or connected to 2G/3G networks, including those whose phones do not support the cell broadcast system.
Cell broadcast technology permits a large number of unacknowledged general messages to be broadcast to all recipients within a defined region.
The system differs from SMS because it doesn’t require specified phone numbers, allowing for rapid and efficient communication of emergency information covering the entire affected area. People also do not need to download any apps.
Ever since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, successive governments in Thailand have promised to launch a cell broadcast alert system. The spotty official response to the March 28 earthquake that caused significant damage in Bangkok led to renewed calls for the system and questions about why it is still not in place.