Overview
- The National Disaster Management Authority ordered a temporary suspension of the Cell Broadcast service on June 12 as a precaution and said the pause will remain until further directions from the NDMA.
- The decision followed repeated late-night weather alerts that reached phones across Delhi-NCR and other areas, and media reports that one such alert may have been delivered to the Prime Minister’s contact number; the latter detail has not been publicly confirmed by authorities.
- Cell Broadcast is a nationwide system launched in May that sends geo-targeted, high-priority pop-up notifications through cell towers to millions of phones at once and can override silent modes with loud tones.
- Officials said technical and procedural reviews are underway to check broadcasting parameters and operational controls, while experts warn routine use of the urgent channel risks creating alert fatigue and eroding public trust.
- Until the NDMA provides restoration guidance users will not receive CB warnings and officials may revise who can send alerts, how areas are targeted and what categories of weather notices qualify for the high-priority channel.