Cell Broadcast Emergency Alerts: If you are troubled by sudden phone ringing (emergency alert) at midnight, then there is news of relief for you. The government has temporarily closed the Cell Broadcast Service (CBS). This decision has been taken after the advice of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Recently, after many people received emergency alerts on their phones late at night, there was a lot of discussion and criticism on social media. Now the technical and operational review of this service is being done. After this it can be started again.
Service stopped for tech review
According to the report of news agency ANI, the decision to shut down cell broadcast service has been taken after the recommendation of the National Disaster Management Authority. Officials say that currently the technical and operational review of the system is being done. However, no clear reason behind temporarily suspending the service has been made public. The concerned agencies are investigating whether any improvements or changes are needed in the functioning of the system. Officials have also clarified that the decision to restart the service will be taken on the basis of upcoming instructions and review report of NDMA.
CBS is the medium of disaster alert
The Cell Broadcast Service was developed to provide disaster and emergency warnings to the country. Through this technology, messages can be sent immediately to the people of the affected area during floods, earthquakes, cyclones, security threats or other emergencies. Its biggest feature is that it does not depend on the normal SMS system and is capable of delivering information to a large number of mobile users simultaneously. For this reason it is considered very important for disaster management. The aim of the government was to reduce the loss of life and property by giving timely warning to people through this system.
The nationwide system was launched in May
The Government of India launched cell broadcast service for the entire country in May. This project was developed by the Center for Development of Telematics i.e. C-DOT working under the Department of Telecommunications in collaboration with NDMA and Home Ministry. At the time of launch, Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia had called it a major change in the disaster management system of the country. According to him, this technology is not limited to just responding after a disaster, but also helps in reducing risks by warning people in advance. The system can work even without internet and is capable of sending messages with priority pop-up alerts and loud warning sounds on the mobile screen.
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