Emergency officials will soon be able to warn millions of Canadians of imminent threats such as fires or Amber Alerts by sending mass alerts to their mobile phones.
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission announced Thursday it will require all wireless providers to participate in a national public alerting system on their LTE networks, which are available to 97 per cent of Canadians. Wireless providers have one year to implement the system that will reach more than 30 million wireless subscribers.
The Big Three providers – BCE Inc., Rogers Communications Inc. and Telus Corp. – all participated in consultations and support the creation of such a system, which builds on the radio and television emergency alert system in operation since 2014. Given the proliferation of mobile devices, officials have been working to send alerts via mobile networks.
“The National Public Alerting System is vital to Canadians, it has saved countless lives, including those of children through Amber Alerts,” CRTC chairman Jean-Pierre Blais said in a statement.
“Once the system is in place, an even greater number of Canadians will receive alerts on their mobile phones and will be able to take appropriate safety measures.”
The cost will ultimately be passed down to consumers. The CRTC acknowledged the system would result in a nominal fee per customer, given that providers indicated they would recover the capital and maintenance costs.
Yet the CRTC’s decision forbids providers from identifying a separate fee for the system on subscribers’ bills. Nor will subscribers be able to opt out of the system.
Spokespeople from the Big Three did not respond to questions about how much the system will cost each user, though they reiterated its importance for public safety.
“With more and more Canadians relying on their mobile devices for breaking news and alerts, it’s in the public interest to complement TV and radio alerts with instant messages on wireless devices to help get critical information out to the public and emergency service providers faster when seconds count,” Telus spokesman Richard Gilhooley said in an email.
“For public safety reasons there is no ‘opt-out’ – the broadcast message is delivered to all wireless customers with compatible devices in a specific geographical area.”
Bell conducted a successful trial of the service in Ontario’s Durham region last year and has worked with international mobile phone manufacturers to make sure their devices support the service, spokeswoman Michelle Michalak said in an email.
Rogers was pleased the CRTC selected cell broadcast technology to implement the system, spokesman Andrew Garas said in an email, calling it “best for customers and public safety.” The same standard is used for emergency alert systems in the European Union, the United States, Israel, Chile and Japan.
Since the technology is not compatible with pre-LTE networks or mobile satellite services, the alerts will not be required on older networks such as Freedom Mobile’s 3G network (it’s upgrading to LTE).
The alert will include a similar tone as is currently used for emergency announcements on radio and TV, along with a unique vibration. Wireless companies will be required to work with federal, provincial and territorial governments to launch an awareness campaign and test the system.