Bangkok: The Ministry of Interior is accelerating the development of the Cell Broadcast system to completion, ready to send warning messages for earthquakes, mudslides, floods, and other disasters. It is expected to be operational within this July.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Traisuree Traisaranakul, Secretary to the Minister of Interior and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior, stated that the Ministry, through the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), is advancing the development of a warning system via mobile phone signals (Cell Broadcast) following the directive issued by Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra, Prime Minister, on 25 April 2025. The system is anticipated to be officially launched in July.
The Cell Broadcast warning system will disseminate warning messages directly to mobile phones of individuals in areas at risk of disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other hazardous events, without requiring any additional application downloads. The alerts will be delivered as messages and accompanied by a warning sound, ensuring accessibility to both the visually and hearing impaired, thereby enabling them to receive and acknowledge warnings from government authorities.
Ms. Traisuree highlighted that under the oversight of Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, the DDPM has been sanctioned to collaborate with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), the Public Relations Department, and three mobile network providers to conduct tests of the Cell Broadcast warning system across three levels in four regions, covering a total of 15 areas. The initial small-scale tests took place on May 2, 2025, in various provincial halls and government complexes.
Further testing at the intermediate level was scheduled for May 7, 2025, targeting district areas in multiple provinces, followed by large-scale tests on May 13, 2025, in several provincial areas including Chiang Mai and Bangkok. These tests aim to ensure the system's efficacy across different geographical scales.
Ms. Traisuree also mentioned that the installation of the Cell Broadcast Entity system, responsible for creating warning messages and linking with the mobile operators' Cell Broadcast Center, will be completed to ensure readiness by July 2025. Meanwhile, efforts are underway by the Ministry of Interior to raise awareness and educate government bodies and the public about the system to prevent panic upon receiving warnings.