Government commends emergency SMS test as largely successful

The delivery time of emergency test text messages sent across Cyprus on Friday was satisfactory according to interior minister Constantinos Ioannou said, after a new round of alerts was issued to mobile phones nationwide.

The test formed part of efforts to strengthen the government’s public warning capabilities amid heightened regional tensions, with authorities assessing whether large volumes of messages can be transmitted rapidly to the population.

Ioannou said the results indicated that the majority of users received the messages within an acceptable timeframe.

“The time taken to send the messages is satisfactory,” he said, adding that the system “covers the vast majority of the population of each district”.

Authorities organised the test after an earlier trial revealed delays and gaps in message delivery, with some users receiving alerts hours late or not at all.

The interior ministry said technical adjustments had been implemented in cooperation with telecommunications providers to improve the reliability of the system.

Friday’s test followed a staggered schedule designed to measure performance across different networks and user categories.

Messages were first sent to pre-paid mobile users at 4.30pm, regardless of location.

Alerts were then issued at thirty-minute intervals to different districts, beginning with Paphos at 5pm, followed by Famagusta at 5.30pm, Nicosia at 6pm, Larnaca at 6.30pm and Limassol at 7pm.

Recipients received messages referencing the district registered with their telecommunications provider rather than their real time location.

Ioannou acknowledged that the current system does not provide complete coverage because it cannot track a user’s exact location.

“This measure covers the vast majority of the population of each province, even though it does not reach one hundred per cent coverage,” he admitted.

He added that this limitation will be addressed through the planned implementation of a dedicated early warning system capable of using location-based alerts.

Authorities say the SMS system is intended to function as an additional tool for rapidly informing the public in the event of emergencies, natural disasters or security incidents.