BANGKOK, Thailand – The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) has conducted a trial run of the Cell Broadcast alert system in Phuket.
The system performed effectively on Android devices. However, iOS devices remain unsupported, pending final approval from Apple. A response from the company is expected within five days.
The March 28 earthquake exposed serious shortcomings in Thailand’s emergency alert infrastructure. Delays in traditional SMS notifications highlighted the need for a faster and more reliable system. Current SMS alerts face technical constraints, including message caps of 200,000 recipients and filtering limitations. High mobile traffic during the quake further disrupted message delivery.
Authorities agreed on the urgency of shifting to direct, real-time communication tools. The Prime Minister has instructed relevant departments to accelerate system upgrades. A streamlined protocol is being introduced to reduce the number of steps required for issuing alerts. Under the new system, agencies such as the Meteorological Department and the Royal Irrigation Department will have authority to issue warnings independently, avoiding previous delays from layered approval processes.
The Cell Broadcast Center contract was signed on March 27th, just one day before the earthquake. Implementation has since been fast-tracked by executive order. Full system deployment is scheduled for July, with operational testing set for next month.
While the system remains under development, the urgency is clear. As natural disasters remain unpredictable, authorities are racing against time to ensure that future warnings will reach every phone, every person, without delay. (NNT)
