This morning in Latvia, during the test, all 159 alarm sirens were activated. The cell broadcast test was successful, but not everyone received the notification, reported the head of the State Fire and Rescue Service (VUGD) Martins Baltmanis and the head of the Information Center of the Ministry of the Interior (MIA) Aris Dzerwans. So can it be considered successful?
Out of 164 alarm sirens, 159 were checked. All 159 worked. Five are under repair or being relocated, said Baltmanis.
For the first time, along with the testing of alarm sirens, a Cell Broadcast notification was sent to smartphones across Latvia. The distribution of such a notification allowed for the verification of whether the cell broadcast system implemented in Latvia this year operates without technical glitches. Although various checks were conducted in a test environment, only the sending of the cell broadcast notification to smartphones throughout Latvia allowed for full confirmation of the system's operation, the Ministry of the Interior reported.
Receiving a cell broadcast notification depends not only on the operation of the system and the infrastructure of mobile operators. Developers of smartphone operating systems and smartphone manufacturers play a significant role in implementing the requirements for displaying cell broadcast notifications on smartphones.
The text of the notification was sent to mobile operators, who then distributed 99% of the cell broadcast notifications, said Dzerwans.
However, some users did not see the notification about the cell broadcast test on their smartphone screens. This is explained by the fact that not all phones have the setting "receive test notifications" enabled, Dzerwans explained. These notifications are automatically enabled on Apple iPhones using the iOS operating system, but are most often not enabled by default on smart devices running the Android operating system.
To do this, in the phone settings, you need to go to the "Safety and Emergency" section, then to "Wireless Emergency Alerts," where you need to activate the options "Receive Alerts" and "Test Alert."
Not receiving the test notification does not mean that in the event of a real threat, residents will be left without warning, emphasized the director of the Ministry of the Interior's Information Center.
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