Telcos test emergency alert systems in users’ mobile phones

In compliance with R.A. No. 10639 or the Free Mobile Disaster Alerts Act, telecommunication companies in the Philippines have been testing emergency alert systems, free of charge, through text messages meant for official disaster warning alerts in the future.

EMERGENCY ALERTS IN MOBILE. Telcos have been sending out emergency alert test messages to a number of subscribers in PH. Image grabbed from Smart Communities

Smart Communications on January 26 tested their system by sending out a warning alert, in the form of a Test Message to its subscribers. These messages are official disaster warning messages by Philippine government agencies such as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOLCS).

Receiving this message means that your ‘mobile phone’s emergency alert is active and ready to receive important warning messages in the future,’ as stated in Smart’s press release.

On the other hand, Globe Telecom has already transmitted 11 test messages to their subscribers when it warned on Typhoon Nina last December 2016.

To activate emergency alert in Android phones, go to messaging settings, look for Emergency Alerts or Cell Broadcast options, and turn it on.

To activate in iOS phones, update to the latest version, go to notifications settings, scroll down and turn on Emergency and Government alerts.

Source: Rappler, Smart Communities, Globe Telecom