Overview
- Millions of phones buzzed Saturday as the government ran a nationwide drill that pushed an “Extremely Severe Alert” pop-up and loud tone, with ministers launching the new facility and officials stressing no action was required.
- SACHET, the Integrated Alert System built by C-DOT, now includes cell broadcast alongside SMS and follows the Common Alerting Protocol used internationally.
- The alerts are sent from mobile towers to all devices in a chosen area, which delivers messages nearly instantly, cuts through network congestion, works without internet, and can override silent or do-not-disturb settings.
- The test focused on state and UT capitals including Delhi-NCR, excluded some border and poll-bound regions, and delivered messages in English, Hindi, and regional languages, with some users receiving multiple notices based on device settings.
- Officials said the exercise validates performance before full operational use for events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, lightning, and industrial hazards, which could speed evacuations and give people clear, location-specific instructions in real time.