For some the siren sounded early or late,but others reported having received no alert at all,with up to 10 million phones missing out. Technology experts were scrambling to understand why customers on Three,one of Britain’s biggest mobile networks,failed to receive the 10-second alert.
There were reports on social media of the siren going off at 2:59 pm,rather than the scheduled 3pm as scheduled. While others said their alert came several minutes late,or they received it multiple times. In other cases,the message was only received when a signal was available. It did not always work when phones were connected only to Wi-Fi.
But the drill interrupted TV and radio news bulletins,matinée theatre performances and the World Snooker Championships at the Crucible in Sheffield had to be stopped because of the constant sirens for some minutes after the test. Participants in the London Marathon were also beset by confusion once the emergency alerts began as they approached the finish line.
The new emergency alert system is designed to warn the public if there is a danger to life nearby,such as flooding or a wildfire. The “broadcast” system could also be used to warn about security threats,including terrorist attacks,as it is in other countries,such as the Netherlands.
Security agencies are wary that if used incorrectly during ongoing terrorist incidents the alarm would give away the location of members of the public hiding from marauding gunmen.
Similar services exist in the US,Canada and Japan where it has been credited with saving lives during severe weather. But they are not foolproof. In 2018,the population of Hawaii was told in error that they were under missile attack,sparking widespread panic.