A new natural disaster risk alert notification system should be implemented nationally by December this year. The content will now be sent in a “pop-up” format, superimposed on the content accessed on the cell phone.
Depending on the type of emergency, the message may trigger a beep on your cell phone, even if it is in silent mode. The service is free and provides advance notice of the occurrence of natural disasters with potential risks to the population.
The new functionality is being coordinated by the National Telecommunications Agency (Anatel), which has already carried out tests and confirmed technical functionality. However, implementation will only be done after other initial practical tests.
A plan for ten smaller cities already exists to begin testing with the population. The selection criteria include regions with a higher historical incidence of emergency situations.
According to Anatel, the mobile telecommunications networks of operators Claro, Tim, Vivo and Algar, with 4G and 5G technologies, are prepared for the new emergency alert solution.
The objective is to complement and assist the actions of Civil Defense bodies in preventing impacts caused by natural disasters by alerting citizens who are in risky locations about the imminence of events such as flooding, floods, landslides, windstorms and hailstorms.
Anatel warned, however, of the risk of misuse as misinformation content, or even for non-severe weather situations and suggested appropriate training and a communication plan with the population of the municipalities.
Differences from the current system
Currently, there are already tools for sending alerts with notifications via SMS. However, the user must register in advance and indicate a zip code of interest.
With the new solution, this pre-registration will be unnecessary and emergency alerts will be sent to all cell phones that are in or enter the region at risk and will be received almost instantly, unlike the current SMS system.
The content of these alerts will remain under the responsibility of the competent bodies, such as Civil Defense, with the possibility of choosing different alert modes such as sound signals, vibrations on the smartphone and viewing confirmation.
Alerts via pay TV
Pay TV subscribers will also receive the alert message in the form of a “pop-up” (image superimposed on the screen) lasting ten seconds. The user does not need to register to receive emergency notifications.
The format of the “pop-up” and the option to close it may vary according to the provider, the equipment model (decoder) and the contracted plan. Additionally, it is not possible to unsubscribe from these alerts.
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Source: CNN Brasil
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