Midnight Siren Alert Sparks Row, Cell Broadcast System Suspended; Here's What Happened

New Delhi: Recently, suddenly a loud siren sounded on the phone and an emergency message was displayed on the screen. Don't be afraid, it was a cell broadcast alert system. On the orders of the central government, it has now been stopped after June 12 till further orders. Reports are saying that after successful trials across the country, the service had to be stopped suddenly. You will also be shocked to hear the reason, a test alert sent at midnight had directly reached Prime Minister Narendra Modi's number. After this strange incident the government immediately applied brakes.

Why was the system suspended after a successful trial?

According to reports, the disaster management units of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh had sent a test alert at midnight. By mistake that alert went to PM's number. The specialty of Cell Broadcast is that even if the phone is on silent or switched off, it sounds like a full volume siren. After the news of alert ringing on PM's phone, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) immediately issued an order and banned the service.

What is cell broadcast technology and how does it work?

This is an advanced version of the mobile-based disaster warning system. Completely different from normal SMS.

• No number required: It does not go to any one number. The message reaches all the phones in the area of a tower simultaneously. Crores of people get alerts within seconds.
• Will work even in network jam: This system works even when the network fails during flood, earthquake or cyclone. So that people's lives can be saved.

Why is it better than normal SMS?

Disaster warning was also given through SMS, but there was a problem. As the load on the network increased, messages would arrive late. By the time the alert was received, it was too late.

Cell broadcast radio uses cell technology. It has 3 big benefits:

• Zero Delay: Messages are delivered instantly without delay
• OS Override: Its coding is such that it can bypass the phone's operating system. 
• Works in silent mode: Even if the phone is on silent/vibrate, the siren will sound at full speed.

According to reports, it will be restarted after fixing the technical glitches. Till then the old methods for emergency alerts will continue.