FAQ - Emergency Alerts - Q&A-4

Emergency Alerts offer several advantages over SMS

Speed of delivery – After the alert is sent from the issuing authority, the public should receive the message in about 4 to 10 seconds. In comparison, the delivery of the GOV.UK coronavirus SMS messages sent in March 2020 took over 48 hours, as they needed to be batched to avoid congestion on the networks.

The Government releases Public Warning Cell Broadcast Messages via the Cell Broadcast Entity (CBE). Once created this typically takes 1 second to send.

The Mobile Network operator checks the broadcast area against its network using the Cell Broadcast Centre (CBC) and identifies the masts from which to broadcast. This typically takes around 3 seconds (4G network).

The user in the target area in range of the mast broadcasting the message receives the alert on their mobile device.

Targeting of messages – Emergency Alerts allow a message to be broadcast to a defined area, meaning any device in or entering that area immediately receives the message.

Security – the public can be fully confident that only authorised organisations are able to send the messages.

Privacy concerns – No personal information (such as telephone number, identity, or location) is used in the sending of any public alert message. [This has been validated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who can provide further information if required.]Effectiveness – the messages use a distinct tone and vibration that is hard to ignore and conveys urgency. The messages are designed to encourage recipients to act.

Future proofed – Emergency Alerts are fully supported by international ‘standards’ bodies, so the technology can be updated as new features are developed. If travelling to another country with the same system, you will receive alerts there too while you are within their borders.

Impact on the mobile network – The resources required to send a message are minimal, creating no network congestion for mobile networks.