Government wants NL-Alert to work via 4g in September next year

The NL-Alert mobile alarm system must work on 4G from September next year. So far, the system only works on 2g and 3g. In addition, in at least 95 percent of the cases, the system must work and transmit a message within three minutes.

The September 2015 deadline is not yet final, but is part of a draft decision that the responsible ministry has put online. The government is requesting input for a month and a half on the intended decision; it is possible that the deadline will change. Now people who are on the 4g network do not get the alarm message.

In the draft decision, the government lays down requirements for NL-Alert. For example, it has to work in 95 percent of the cases and the ministry wants confirmation from providers within three minutes of sending out whether the message has indeed been sent; within that time, providers must also have spread the message. Tests so far have failed to do so; many people received the message later.

NL-Alert has been operational for some time and the government deploys the alarm system in the event of fires, among other things. The system works via cell broadcast, which works in addition to regular SMS. This allows the government to alert people, even if the network is overloaded.