New Finnish alert system hits problems in first real use

Finland used its new FI-Alert emergency warning system for the first time on Friday, but some phones did not receive the alert and others displayed an incorrect heading, Yle reported.

The alert was sent at 11.46am after a warehouse complex in Tyrnävä caught fire. The complex held 4.2 million kilograms of potatoes and a potato-sorting line.

FI-Alert sends notifications through mobile networks, so it does not require an internet connection or a separate app. It supplements existing warning channels rather than replacing them. The alert about the fire was also sent through the usual channels.

Mikko Jääskeläinen, a special adviser at the Ministry of the Interior, said the law has required authorities to send warnings through FI-Alert since 1 November. However, updates needed for the system to work fully are still being distributed by Apple and Google.

Some phones displayed the heading “presidential-level alert”. Jääskeläinen said the heading problems were also linked to missing phone updates and should be resolved as software is updated.

The North Ostrobothnia Rescue Department requested that Friday’s alert be sent to phones within a 20-kilometre radius of the fire. However, it also appeared on a phone in Oulu, more than 30 kilometres from the scene.

FI-Alert uses Cell Broadcast technology and can target warnings to specific locations. Nationwide tests are scheduled for 17 and 24 November, after authorities expect most phones to have received the necessary updates.

The government accelerated the system’s rollout after drones violated Finland’s territorial integrity in the spring. The system was expected to be ready by the end of October. A similar system in Sweden, called SE-Alert, is still at the trial stage.