In the event of a disaster, in addition to mobile phones, other digital receiving equipment will warn people in Austria. Digital radios or digital display boards could soon broadcast warnings, broadcasting and telecommunications regulator RTR announced on Wednesday.
As early as October 5, a siren test was supplemented with the new AT Alert, which activated acoustic signals and text messages on mobile phones. With the introduction of the mobile communications technology “Cell Broadcast”, which enables AT warning, Austria now complies with an EU regulation for electronic communications, according to representatives of the Ministry of the Interior. The test operation is still ongoing, but after October 5, the AT alarm has already been activated fourteen times due to storms and once due to a fire in Lower Austria.
“Broad warning media mix”
The goal now is to have a broad mix of warning equipment. In addition to classic communication tools such as siren alarms and ORF, in the future DAB+-compatible devices, passenger information displays or apps such as Facebook, X and the WienApp will inform the population in the event of an emergency.
The goal is to “always reach 100 percent of those affected,” said Roman Bayer, project manager for AT Alert at the Ministry of the Interior. However, the functionality of the cell broadcast will be limited to the affected areas. An overview of warnings throughout Austria will appear on the RTR website warning.at-alert.at.
According to Bayer, the broadcasting system is anonymous and data cannot be traced back. “No registration, no download, no registration” is required to receive AT alerts. Activating alerts is only permitted on orders from the authorities, according to Hermann Bühler, who is responsible for the conceptual design of AT Alert.
Apart from English, warning messages are not intended to be multilingual as they are usually written spontaneously.
Source: Krone
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