Next-Generation Alert System to Be Tested in Homiel Region

On October 15 at 11:00 a.m., Belarus’s Ministry of Emergency Situations will test its emergency alert system using Cell Broadcast technology.

“Cell Broadcast is a technology for instantly delivering messages to mobile phones. Unlike ordinary SMS messages, these alerts arrive almost immediately — within 20 seconds — and can reach all subscribers in a specific area”, the ministry explained.

The system has three levels of alerts:

• Test alerts — the word “test” will appear on phone screens;
• Emergency warnings — phones will vibrate and emit a loud alert sound even if silent mode is enabled, and the text will also be delivered as a voice message;
• National alerts — messages cannot be blocked or disabled in the phone settings.

“During the trial in the Homiel region, the operation of scenarios for automatically launching alerts at a specified time will be tested. Ministry specialists will assess message delivery results through public surveys. This will help fine-tune the algorithms and ensure that, in the event of a real threat, every resident receives vital information on time”, the ministry added.

Residents of the Homiel region are asked not to worry and to treat the test with understanding.

Interestingly, Poland’s Ministry of Interior and Administration also signed a document today to introduce a similar system in the country.