Authorities on Tuesday conducted the third and final test of the new cell broadcast emergency alert system, causing alarm (literally) for many residents, despite weeks of advance notice.
The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reassured the public that it was only a system test. There were no links to click, it said, warning against potential scams.
The test took place in five provinces — Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Udon Thani, Ayutthaya and Nakhon Si Thammarat — at 1pm. Millions of mobile phones in these areas emitted an 8-second alert sound with a message stating, “National Alert now. This is a test message from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM). No action required”. (The message was also rendered in English as “Presidential alert” on some phones.)
Many people shared screenshots of the alert on social media, using the hashtag #cellbroadcast. Despite all the excitement, the department emphasised that the alert was merely a test to assess the system’s readiness for future disaster warnings.
The cell broadcast technology works with all major telecom providers, supporting 120 million mobile numbers across both the Android and iOS platforms.
The alert can be heard on all phones that are turned on and connected to a 4G/5G network in the test area. Mobile devices must be running Android 11 or iOS 18 operating systems, or higher.
The first small-scale test was conducted on May 2 and a medium-scale test followed on May 7.
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 slow and 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.
