NEW DELHI – Union Minister of Communications Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia officially launched the Cell Broadcast System (CBS) today, marking a major shift from reactive to proactive disaster management in India. Developed indigenously by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) under the guidance of Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah, the system was created in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The launch included a successful nationwide test where emergency alerts, accompanied by a distinctive tone, were broadcast to mobile phones across the country.
Key Features of the Cell Broadcast System
The CBS is a telecom-enabled public warning system integrated with the SACHET platform to overcome the limitations of traditional SMS-based alerts. Its core capabilities include:
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Instant, Geo-Targeted Alerts: Enables simultaneous broadcasting of near real-time alerts to millions within specific geographic areas, down to individual cell towers or clusters.
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High Reliability: The system remains unaffected by network congestion and delivers messages without queuing delays.
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Universal Reach: Covers all mobile users in a targeted area, including those roaming; notably, these priority pop-up alerts cannot be disabled by users.
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Multilingual Support: Provides critical information in multiple languages across 2G to 5G networks, ensuring coverage in both urban and rural regions.
Proven Effectiveness and Recognition
Pan-India trials have already proven successful, with the system previously reaching millions during disasters in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Uttarakhand. Beyond domestic use, C-DOT has demonstrated this technology internationally in countries such as Mauritius, Cambodia, El Salvador, and Sri Lanka, aligning with the United Nations “Early Warnings for All” initiative.
During the event, Minister Scindia also conferred the Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar (SCBAPP) to individuals and organizations for their selfless service in disaster management and released new official guidelines and handbooks for the field.
