UK to conduct nationwide emergency alert

Millions of mobile phones across the UK will sound an emergency alert this Sunday as the government tests its national warning system.

At 3:00 pm (1400 GMT), most of Britain’s 87 million phones and tablets will emit a 10-second siren and vibrate. Users will also receive a message clarifying it’s only a test. This marks the second nationwide drill since the system was first tested in 2003.

Pat McFadden, the minister in charge, likened the alert to a household smoke alarm. “It’s important to test these things now and again,” he said.

The exercise aims to improve the UK’s readiness for extreme weather, unexploded bombs, or other emergencies, including threats arising from global conflicts. In recent years, the system has already issued real warnings in local areas five times, including during Storm Eowyn in January, which reached 4.5 million people in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The government has tried to minimise disruption by scheduling the test during a weekend with no top-flight men’s football matches. However, McFadden admitted, “There will be something that is disturbed as a result of this.”

Only devices on 4G or 5G networks will receive the alert, which is part of broader plans to strengthen national resilience following crises such as the coronavirus pandemic, cyber threats, and international tensions.

The alert system is also linked to TV, radio, and door-to-door warnings when necessary — similar to systems used in the US and Japan.