Today, June 28, the experimental phase of It-alert, the new national public alert system designed to inform the population in case of major emergencies, comand extreme weather events, nuclear crises and other human or environmental disasters. The first test today in Tuscany, followed by the end of 2023 by the coverage of all regions and autonomous provinces of the country.
It-alert, how the new alert system works
It-alert is a public alert system managed by Civil protection. Once operational, it will broadcast alarm messages to all mobile phones of people potentially involved in serious emergencies. All through cell-broadcast technology, which allows the transmission of text messages generalized in a one-way manner outside the circuit of SMS or messaging applications.
You will not have to download or register for any application to receive It-alert notifications. Just have your phone turned on, not in airplane mode, and connected to the network. The message will appear directly on the screen, temporarily blocking all other phone functions. But you might not see it right away if your phone is on silent mode.
To restore the device to normal conditions, that will be enough tap the notification to confirm receipt. Messages will reach all devices running iOS or Android, including smartphone, smartwatch e tablet, but not on laptops.
It-alert technology allows messages to be sent to a geographically close group of cell phones, thus delimiting an area corresponding to the event in progress.
This measure makes it possible to provide information on possible dangers in a timely manner. However, it has limitations – especially when it comes to coverage: if it is not there, you will not receive the alert message.