In addition to the annual siren test, a test alarm is also sent out via mobile phone for the first time. The alarm occurs automatically, you don’t have to register anywhere, explained the Forum Mobile Communication (FMK) on Wednesday. Alerts are received by all not very old cell phones, no app is required.
These are so-called “cell broadcasts”. This means that – comparable to the station identification of a radio station, which also sends additional information about the piece of music that has just been played – the warnings are simply received and displayed by the mobile device.
The message appears directly on the screen, no matter how you have configured the device, explained the FMK. However, to be on the safe side, the forum recommends making sure that all warnings are allowed in the settings under the “Emergency Alerts” menu. However, if you have an old push-button cell phone, you should check in the “Cell Broadcast” menu item whether the device also supports cell broadcasts. Old cell phones in particular don’t do this. Cell phones that support cell broadcast receive at least the highest alert level.
Alarms are triggered even when cell phones are muted
Even if the cell phone is muted, the alarm is triggered, warned the FMK. To prevent this, the cell phone should be switched to airplane mode. If you are at events, squares or in buildings on Saturday where it should be quiet – for example in nursing homes or hospitals – it would be advisable to activate flight mode or switch off older push-button telephones between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., according to the FMK.
However, if there is no reception, then the alarms cannot be received. So if you’re in a basement or on a mountain, the news only comes when the reception situation is a little better. However, text messages require a much lower connection quality than if you want to make phone calls or use data-intensive apps. In addition, these warnings are sent across networks. The messages come from any mobile network and not just the home network, as long as any network is within range. This also applies to prepaid cell phones, not just contract cell phones.
Warnings sent out locally
The warnings are sent out on a local basis. You receive all warnings for the region you are in. This means that, for example, someone who lives in place A but works in place B will receive the warning about place B, but not about his or her place of residence and vice versa. The purpose of “AT-Alert” is to only warn people who are directly affected by a dangerous situation. Therefore, warnings are only sent via cell phone stations located in this area. The FMK explained which area that is is defined by the warning centers. The mobile network operators have no influence on this, just as the mobile network operators also have no influence on the type of warning – warning level or text – itself.
