Mobile Networks Step Up Alert System as Government Delay Persists

Telecoms regulator backs mobile providers' interim 'Cell Broadcast' system as national warning infrastructure faces delays

 

Thailand's telecoms regulator, the NBTC, is backing the country's three main mobile phone operators to deploy their own 'Cell Broadcast' warning systems. 

 

This move comes as the government's official Cell Broadcast Entity (CBE) system, overseen by the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), remains incomplete.

 

Trairat Viriyasirikul, acting secretary-general of the NBTC, stated that Advanced Wireless Network, True Move H Universal Communication, and National Telecom have all established their Cell Broadcast Centre (CBC) systems and carried out successful testing of the alert technology. This independent rollout is occurring while they await the delayed CBE system from the DDPM.

 

Current alert protocols are as follows: earthquakes trigger direct warnings from the Meteorological Department and the DDPM, bypassing the NBTC.
  



 

For other disasters like floods or storms, the DDPM directly informs the three mobile operators, who then send out alerts to the public themselves.

 

The NBTC will act as a coordinator to ensure relevant agencies can effectively use the Cell Broadcast system for swift and efficient public warnings.

 

Crucially, the regulator is encouraging mobile operators to immediately utilise their CBC systems, for which funding was allocated a year ago.

 

The NBTC believes this timeframe is ample for the public to receive vital safety information from state bodies without further delay caused by the DDPM's unfinished CBE system.

 

Limitations of Cell Broadcast Alerts:

Certain mobile phones will not receive Cell Broadcast alerts, including:


Devices that are switched off.
Phones connected to older 2G or 3G networks. In these instances, operators like AIS (with approximately 1.6 million such users) and True (around 900,000 users) will resort to sending SMS alerts.
Devices using Wi-Fi without a SIM card.
Phones with Airplane mode activated.
 
 

Waroonthep Watcharaporn, head of Business Relations at AIS, and Wasit Wattanasap, head of Nationwide Operations and Technical Support at AIS, attended a meeting at the NBTC's headquarters on April 18th, 2025.

 

While the DDPM continues to develop its central CBE system, it has requested mobile operators to assist in disseminating alerts via two methods:

CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) via Operators:


Compatible with Android phones running version 12 and later.
Compatible with iPhones running iOS 18.


 

Devices unable to receive CBS alerts include:


2G and 3G mobile phones.
iPhones X (10) and older that cannot be updated to iOS 18.


 

 



 

SMS System:

SMS remains a necessary fallback for devices incompatible with CBS, such as 2G/3G phones and older iPhones.

 

The DDPM will dictate the content, geographical targeting (area, location, and province), and sender identification for these SMS alerts, using "DDPM" (Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation) and "TMD" (Thai Meteorological Department) as the sender names.

 

 



 

Chakkrit Urairat, chief corporate affairs officer of True Corporation, stated that True's Cell Broadcast Service (CBS) has been fully tested and is operational on iPhones and Android devices supporting 4G and 5G, enabling alert reception without the need for additional apps.

 

iPhone users can now verify and adjust their alert settings via Settings > Notifications > Amber Alerts and Emergency Alerts. Furthermore, alerts will also appear on a paired Apple Watch.

(2025/04/18-00:00)