Soon, you won't miss emergency alerts from your municipality: The Communications Ministry published a draft of new regulations for public feedback. These regulations will allow local authorities to send emergency alerts via Cell Broadcast to residents' mobile devices, enabling warnings about emergencies such as suspicious objects, fires, and hazardous material incidents.
The Cell Broadcast messages take over the mobile screen, drawing users' attention to the content of the alerts. These messages can quickly reach mobile devices of people within the local authority’s jurisdiction, even during network congestion.
Requests received by the Communications Ministry from several local authorities highlighted the need for Cell Broadcast technology to send life-saving alerts, both to their residents and to non-residents who happen to be in their area—for example, individuals working in the municipality's jurisdiction but living elsewhere.
The technology is currently used by the Home Front Command, which established the "Personal Message" system to disseminate immediate, concise warnings and instructions. This system ensures public and national security by targeting numerous mobile devices within a specific geographical area simultaneously. The proposed regulations aim to extend this capability to local authorities as well.
According to the proposal, to ensure that the messages sent pertain solely to emergencies, approval from a security official, such as a liaison officer for the local authority, will be required before sending any alerts.
Elad Makdassi, Director-General of the Communications Ministry, stated: "Cell Broadcast technology enables the rapid dissemination of messages to a large number of subscribers within the same area. Until now, this technology was unavailable for use by local authorities, despite their critical role in addressing emergency and security incidents. The proposed draft regulations will allow municipalities to utilize this important tool to protect residents and improve on-the-ground responses."