India rolls out test of disaster alerts, phones buzz nationwide

Millions of mobile phones across India buzzed simultaneously on Saturday as the government conducted a nationwide trial of its mobile-based disaster alert system, triggering pop-up messages and alerts for users across regions.Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia unveiled the ‘Cell Broadcast Alert System’, developed indigenously by C-DOT in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, as part of an exercise to strengthen real-time emergency communication and ensure timely dissemination of critical alerts during disasters.
Officials had earlier advised citizens to remain calm and ignore such messages, clarifying that these alerts are part of system testing and require no action from recipients.The alert system is based on the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), recommended by the International Telecommunication Union, and is currently operational across all 36 states and Union Territories. It enables geo-targeted dissemination of emergency alerts via SMS.In addition, Cell Broadcast (CB) technology has been introduced, allowing alerts to be transmitted simultaneously to all mobile devices within a specific area, ensuring near real-time delivery even during network congestion.
As part of the pan-India rollout and the launch of the Cell Broadcast (CB) facility, nationwide testing and trials are currently being conducted to assess the system's performance and reliability prior to its formal inauguration and dedication to the nation. During this period, members of the public may receive test messages in English, Hindi and regional languages on their mobile devices,” the DoT said in a statement.The department has urged citizens to cooperate during the testing phase, reiterating that the messages are purely for validation purposes.Once fully operational, the system will issue alerts in multiple Indian languages across all mobile handsets, irrespective of device settings, significantly enhancing reach and response time during emergencies.
Union Minister for Communications Jyotiraditya Scindia,also shared details of the initiative on X, highlighting its importance for citizen safety.“If you receive a message like this on your phone, it is a test alert as part of India’s new nationwide mobile-based Disaster Communication System, developed by the @cdot_india team at @DoT_India with @ndmaindia, using cell broadcast technology.This system will henceforth be used to send near real-time, geo-targeted alerts in multiple languages, strengthening emergency response and putting citizen safety first.”

If you receive a message like this on your phone, it is a test alert as part of India’s new nationwide mobile-based Disaster Communication System, developed by the @cdot_india team at @DoT_India with @ndmaindia, using cell broadcast technology.

This system will henceforth be… pic.twitter.com/eweuvJA12r

— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) May 2, 2026