The United Kingdom's mobile phone alert system is an emergency population warning system that uses cell broadcast.[1] Early testing began in 2014, with the first test alert sent in March 2020.[2] The warning system is intended for use in major incidents such as flooding or terror attacks.[3] The Emergency Alert System was launched on 19 March 2023, and tested on a nationwide basis for the first time on 23 April 2023.

History

During the Cold War, the UK developed an emergency alert system called the Wartime Broadcasting Service, aimed to keep UK residents informed after a catastrophic wartime attack, such as a nuclear warhead detonation or severe bombing.[4]

The state of this system is currently unknown to the public, and most information about it is held exclusively by BBC high-ranking executives and government officials.

Early cell broadcast trials

In 2013, the Government of the United Kingdom trialled a system similar to other countries in which cell broadcasts would be simultaneously broadcast to multiple mobile devices.[5] The final project report in 2014 found that "Responders remain very keen to see the implementation of a national mobile alert system" and that "the majority of people (85%) felt that a mobile alert system was a good idea." The report said it was the hope to carry out more trials, however past that point no further trials were conducted. An earlier 2012 report ("Extended Floodline Warnings Direct Trial") by the Cabinet Office using mobile phone calls found that only 12% of recipients acknowledged the alert.[6] During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the government was accused of ignoring its own advice to set up UK emergency alert system and how after seven years of the Cabinet Office's own report showing such systems were successful, there was "no sign of a system being developed."[7]

In 2019 and early 2020, the Environment Agency collaborated with EE, Fujitsu and the University of Hull to trial Cell Broadcasting technologies for the purpose of flood warning.[8][9]

Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

On 24 March 2020, the government collaborated with all UK mobile networks to send a text message to inform people of the new lockdown rules.[10]

Text message sent to all UK mobile numbers when the first UK lockdown began.

On 26 December 2021, the government sent another nationwide text message to inform the population about the availability of COVID-19 booster vaccinations, available for free through the NHS.[11]

Text message from the UK Government's NHS informing about booster vaccinations to defend against the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Cell broadcast trial and implementation

An emergency alert example as published by the British Government.

In 2020, the UK began developing an emergency alert system using Cell Broadcast in collaboration with UK mobile networks.[3]

In March 2021, a test across all networks on the test channels took place in Reading with the British government's Flood Information Service updating a page on its website, stating that the new cell broadcast system is being tested, and some devices may receive test alerts. This page was updated again in April for further operator tests.[12]

A test broadcast was made for customers on O2 on 11 May 2021 at around 8 am to users who had enabled test alerts in their phone's Wireless Alerts settings.[2] A similar trial was run on 20 May for EE customers. Two alerts were sent, received at around 13:21 and 13:48 respectively.

The first test on the public channels for the new Emergency Alerts System was on 25 May in East Suffolk, the second test of the system was on 29 June in Reading,[13] before being rolled out with an introduction Emergency Alert nationwide in October 2022.[14] The system is guaranteed to work on iOS 14.5 and later, and on Android 11 and later, though if Wireless Alerts settings are available on older Android devices, the alerts are very likely to work on those, too.[15][16] but due to recent heat alerts in the UK, the system is now expected to go live in October with a Government publicity campaign in September.[17] Since the majority of Android devices are already compatible with Cell Broadcast alerts such as the USA's WEA system, most older Android devices should also be compatible.[18]

The alerts will only be available on devices that connect to the UK's 4G and 5G networks, and not 2G or 3G,[16] despite Cell Broadcast being part of the GSM specification since before 2G adoption was widespread in the UK. The loud sound that is played on receiving an alert is exactly the same sound that is used on smartphones in the US (which itself was originally the attention signal for the Emergency Broadcast System). If the phone is set to read out alerts, the attention signal only sounds three times compared to the 10 second blast for normal phones.[19] Users can opt out of the alerts.[16]

UK Emergency Alert System

The alert system is intended to allow government and the emergency services to send a text alert to mobile phones in a situation where there is perceived to be an immediate risk to life. Mobile users will receive an alert accompanied by a siren-like noise, which they must acknowledge in order to use the phone's other features. In an emergency, the alert will inform people where the emergency is, and tell them what they need to do in response.

The alert system will be used to warn the public in the event of incidents such as fires, flooding, extreme weather conditions and terrorist attacks.[20][21]

The Emergency Alert System was nationally launched on 19 March 2023, almost two years after the first public test.[22]

Local and national tests

Local tests were carried out in East Suffolk and Reading in 2021.[23]

On the day of its launch, the UK Government confirmed plans to conduct a national test of the system at 3 pm on 23 April 2023.[24][25] About 90% of phones in the UK were expected to receive the test alert.[22][26][27]

Prior to the test alert, domestic abuse charities in the UK, including Refuge, expressed their concern that victims of domestic abuse who kept a concealed phone as a safety precaution could be placed at risk by the sounding of the alert. This prompted the UK government to issue advice to people in that particular situation to switch the device off, as the alert would not sound if the phone is switched off. It would also not sound if aeroplane mode was switched on. Refuge also produced a video showing how the alerts could be switched off in a phone's settings.[28][29]

Sport and entertainment venues confirmed plans to minimise disruption. Sheffield's Crucible Theatre announced that the 2023 World Snooker Championship would be briefly paused to accommodate the test, while the Society of London Theatre said it had advised its members to ask theatregoers to turn off their mobile phones during matinee performances. No theatres planned to alter the time of their performances, although it was reported some planned to briefly pause performances for the test alert.[30][31] Speaking on the morning of 23 April, Oliver Dowden, the Deputy Prime Minister, said that people would not need to take any action because of the test alert, while the consumer organisation Which? issued a statement ahead of the alert to warn people of potential scams: "Events like this can be a magnet for scammers looking to take advantage of the confusion. Anything that asks you to take action from the alert is a scam."[32]

The test alert was sent to mobile phones on the 5G and 4G networks.[33] During the test alert, the siren sounded for around ten seconds, even on phones set to silent mode.[34] The test alert read as follows:

"This is a test of Emergency Alerts, a new UK government service that will warn you if there's a life-threatening emergency nearby. In a real emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit gov.uk/alerts for more information. This is a test. You do not need to take any action."[35]

The alert needed to be accepted by the recipient in order for them to continue using their device.[34]

Following the test, some mobile phone users took to social media to complain that the alert had sounded either one minute earlier or one minute later than scheduled, while some reported receiving a message titled with the words "severe alert".[36] Many users of the Three mobile network did not receive the test alert, but some on the O2 and Vodafone networks also reported difficulty.[37] Three said it was aware some of its mobile users had not received the alert: "We are working closely with the government to understand why and ensure it doesn't happen when the system is in use."[38] The Cabinet Office said it would review the outcome of the test and that it was aware a "very small proportion of mobile users on some networks did not receive it".[33] Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden subsequently told Parliament he had initiated the alert at 14:59 BST in order to minimise potential disruption to events starting at 3pm, and that it had remained active until 15:21 BST.[39]

The Welsh alert message included a typo in which the Welsh word for safe – ddiogel – was misspelt as Vogel; the letter 'v' does not appear in Welsh orthography.[40] Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden told the House of Commons that autocorrect had been to blame for the error, but that the "essence of the message remained unchanged".[41]

The Cabinet Office confirmed that 80% of mobile phones were capable of receiving the alert message, but that 7% had not received it, either because of the issue with the Three network, or because people had either disabled emergency alerts or switched to aeroplane mode. The Cabinet Office also said the test had been successful, and that there would likely be further tests to the alert system in future, but that there were "no current plans" to test it again.[39] Some mobile users received a second, unannounced "mobile network operator test" alert just after 2pm on 2 May 2023.[42]

On 18 July 2023, Roger Hargreaves, director of Cobra, suggested to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee that the emergency alert system should be tested every two years to ensure the technology is working.[43]

Operational cost

The UK government has estimated the Emergency Alert system will cost £25.3m in its first three years of operation.[44]

See also

General:

Historic/Defunct:

General:

References

  1. ↑ "The National Attack Warning System". Civil Defence today. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 Hughes, Matthew. "Rude awakening for O2 customers after network runs surprise test of emergency mobile alert to 90% of phones across the United Kingdom system". www.theregister.com. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 Woods, Ben (15 February 2021). "Testing of mass text alert system to flag viruses will begin next month". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "The BBC's detailed plans for nuclear war". BBC. 23 July 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  5. ↑ "Public emergency alerts: mobile alerting trials". GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Extended Floodline Warnings Direct Trial (PDF) (Report). May 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  7. ↑ "Government ignored advice to set up UK emergency alert system". The Guardian. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  8. ↑ "Floods". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  9. ↑ "U.K. Developing Targeted Mobile Broadcasts for Virus Alerts". Bloomberg.com. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Coronavirus: SMS messages". GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "Get Boosted Now text message to go out from Boxing Day - GOV.UK".
  12. ↑ "Local emergency alert trials - GOV.UK". 25 April 2021. Archived from the original on 25 April 2021. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  13. ↑ "Planned tests". GOV.UK. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  14. ↑ "Emergency alert system to launch in October across Great Britain". BBC News. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
  15. ↑ "Switching on emergency alerts this summer". community.giffgaff.com. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. 1 2 3 "How emergency alerts work". GOV.UK. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  17. ↑ Symonds, Tom (15 August 2022). "Emergency alert system to launch in October across Great Britain". BBC News. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  18. ↑ "Emergency phone system to send warnings of terror attacks by text message". The Independent. 15 May 2021. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "UK Emergency Alerts Test Broadcast Reading June 29th 2021". YouTube. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  20. ↑ "UK launches emergency phone alerts public warning system". The Guardian. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  21. ↑ Russell, Rachel (23 April 2023). "Emergency alert could be sound that saves your life, says deputy PM". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  22. 1 2 "Launch of life-saving public emergency alerts". GOV.UK. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  23. ↑ "Past alerts". GOV.UK. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  24. ↑ "Date and time set for UK's first nationwide test of emergency alert system". Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  25. ↑ "Time Set for UK Emergency Alert Test". UK Gov. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  26. ↑ "UK emergency alert system launched to warn of life-threatening events - with test set for next month". Sky News. Sky UK. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  27. ↑ "Mobile phone users to get emergency alert during nationwide test in April". ITV News. ITV. 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  28. ↑ Rawlinson, Kevin (17 April 2023). "Domestic abuse victims advised to turn off phones for UK emergency alert test". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  29. ↑ Morgan, Thomas (22 April 2023). "UK emergency-alert system: What is it and when is the test?". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  30. ↑ "UK emergency alert: How cinemas, theatres and sport venues plan to deal with disruption". Sky News. Sky UK. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  31. ↑ Atta, Fareid (23 April 2023). "Emergency alert could 'save your life', deputy PM says". Cambridgeshire Live. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  32. ↑ Rodger, James (23 April 2023). "Reason emerges after some didn't get emergency alert test today". Birmingham Live. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  33. 1 2 Kingsley, Thomas (23 April 2023). "Emergency alert: Three responds after phone users complain they did not receive test". The Independent. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  34. 1 2 Slow, Oliver (16 April 2023). "Public emergency message released ahead of UK test". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  35. ↑ "UK public assured they can 'swipe away' emergency alert test". The Guardian. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  36. ↑ Russell, Rachel (23 April 2023). "Emergency alert test fails to sound on some phones". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  37. ↑ Hern, Alex; Gecsoyler, Sammy (23 April 2023). "UK emergency alert test: Three looking into why users failed to get text". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  38. ↑ Three UK [@ThreeUK] (23 April 2023). "We are aware that a number of users have not received the test alert" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  39. 1 2 Seddon, Paul (25 April 2023). "Around 7% of compatible devices didn't get emergency alert, government says". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  40. ↑ "Welsh language error in government emergency alert". BBC News. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  41. ↑ "Emergency alert test: Welsh gaffe due to autocorrect - Dowden". BBC News. BBC. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  42. ↑ "Residents' 'shock' and 'worry' at receiving emergency alert text twice - nine days apart". ITV News Meridian. ITV. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  43. ↑ "UK emergency alert could be tested every two years". BBC News. BBC. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  44. ↑ Nevett, Joshua (26 May 2023). "UK emergency alert system to cost £25m". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
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