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UK says some mobile users did not receive emergency alert test
- The UK conducted its first test of a new emergency alert service on Sunday
- Some users complained that they had not received the warning at all
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While most UK mobile phones sounded a jarring alarm just before 3pm local time on Sunday, users on some networks did not receive the widely flagged test of a new emergency warning system.
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“A very small proportion of mobile users on some networks did not receive it and we will be looking at this as part of our review of the test,” the government said after the test. Some notifications also arrived before the expected time.
The Three network said it was aware of some customers who did not get the test and was working with the government to understand why, Press Association news agency reported.
Alerts were sent to phones, tablets and smartwatches followed by a notification titled “severe alert” telling recipients it was a test.
Emergency alerts is “a new UK government service that will warn you if there’s a life-threatening emergency nearby.”
The system, modelled on similar schemes in Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and the United States, aims to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby
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The test coincided with events including the London marathon and World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, which halted play before 3pm.
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