Mobile carriers to launch text message alerts warning of danger
Posted March 16, 2018 9:46 am.
Last Updated March 16, 2018 9:47 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Mobile carriers across Ontario are planning to launch a new emergency alert text message system designed to warn Canadians of possible danger.
Text messages have gone out to customers across the province, informing them of a new service designed to deliver critical and potentially life-saving alerts to Canadians through television, radio and other media.
It’s called Alert Ready and it’s a new national public emergency alert system.
The system was created in partnership with federal, provincial and territorial emergency management officials, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Pelmorex Corp. and the broadcast industry.
Types of alerts will include large scale fires, natural disasters, biological incidents, situations of a possible explosive nature, enviromental issues and terrorist threats.
The system will also be used in civil emergencies such as Amber Alerts, 911 outages and when a wild or domesticated animal poses a threat to human life or property.
The alerts will be sent out by federal, provincial, and territorial governments.
Officials say that in order for emergency alerts to be received on a wireless device it must be:
- An LTE-device like a smartphone (LTE is commonly referred to as “4G LTE”);
- Wireless public alerting (WPA)-compatible; and
- Connected to an LTE cellular network at the time the emergency alert is issued.
For more details on the feature, click here.
