Sweden to launch new mobile warning system SE-Alert

Sweden will soon introduce a new public warning system called SE-Alert, which will send important messages to all mobile phones in an affected area within seconds, SVT reports.

The system is designed to complement existing channels for VMA (Important Message to the Public), such as radio, television, mobile apps and the Hesa Fredrik siren. No app download is needed; the system activates automatically through system updates from Apple and Android.

“We must build a more resilient country that can handle situations other than those we are used to,” said Carl-Oskar Bohlin, minister for civil defence (Moderate Party), at a press conference. “This is a new system for warning in danger.”

According to SVT, the current system for sending mass SMS messages often becomes overloaded. The new SE-Alert system aims to bypass that problem by using cell broadcast technology, reaching all phones in a defined area simultaneously.