Weekly Wrap: National authorities seek to improve emergency connectivity

Earlier this month, in the middle of my Sunday food shop, I noticed phones around the store suddenly ringing out with siren sounds. Mine stayed quiet at first, but eventually joined in five minutes later.

On that day, at 3 pm, every 4G- or 5G-compatible device in the UK received the same 10-second alert: loud, impossible to ignore, and clearly marked as a test requiring no action.

The UK emergency alert system uses mobile phone masts to send a broadcast message. This broadcast is one-way, does not require people’s phone numbers or personal data, and does not track their location. Only phones connected to 4G or 5G (so not 2G, 3G or just WiFi) are eligible for the alert. If your device was temporarily switching networks, like mine was, or had a weak signal, there was a delay.

A week later in Germany, it was the national “Warntag“. Emergency alerts were sent via cell broadcast to compatible devices or to emergency apps such as NINA and Katwarn. TV and radio issued warnings simultaneously. There were warnings displayed at railway stations and public venues. Many cities, including Berlin for the first time in decades, sounded warning sirens with a one-minute wailing tone at 11am and an “all clear” continuous tone at 11.45am.

Emergency signals are effective when there is coverage, but genuine emergencies, such as natural disaster or war, usually coincide with power outages and a breakdown of infrastructure.

Some countries are trying to find ways around this. Following the major power outage in April in Spain, the Spanish government, led by the Secretary of State for Telecommunications, announced a public consultation to strengthen security and reliability requirements for telecoms networks during large-scale emergencies. The consultation will address the need for more robust backup infrastructure, such as batteries for antennas or towers, when electricity goes off.  

In New Zealand, operators have launched their own initiative to create a real-time mobile phone outage service. New Zealand’s emergency services rely heavily on mobile communications for alerts and incident management, and the country has suffered more severe weather events in recent years.

The service is a joint effort from One NZ and Spark. It displays both live and planned mobile network outages across New Zealand so that first responders can see which zones have network issues and prepare and respond more effectively in disasters or during maintenance. The outage information is updated in real time, including planned disruptions up to two weeks ahead. It was trialled recently during Cyclone Tam to help fire services identify critical communications gaps and set up alternative plans quickly.

As countries invest in new alert systems and resilience measures, the real test will be whether these changes can bridge the gap between ambitious policy and practical, reliable emergency communications when people need them most.

Here’s what else we’ve covered this week:

• Argentina has become the latest country to launch a neutral wholesale network programme as part of efforts to boost competition in the telecoms market.
• The European Parliament has debated new measures in the aftermath of GNSS interference with an aeroplane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
• Vodafone Germany hopes to make network slicing more accessible, with two new plans catering to various enterprise use cases.
• PolicyTracker has tested and compared the quality of services of MNOs and MVNOs, finding that parent networks have a slight advantage over virtual operators that lease their infrastructure.
• A survey of India’s auctions over the past 15 years compiled by an official from the Department of Telecommunications concludes that “reserve prices are misaligned with market realities”.