Warning day 2022: Why the test warning day in Berlin is different
civil protection
Why the warning day 2022 is different in Berlin
At 11 a.m. on the nationwide warning day, a test warning was issued in many ways. Was different in Berlin than in Germany.
Berlin. At 11 a.m., cell phones in Berlin issue a test warning. Reports should also be broadcast on radio and television, broadcast via digital city information boards. The warning also arrives via a message on the cell phone, for example if a person has the warning apps NINA and Katwarn.
Our reporter Dirk Krampitz was on the U1 between Warschauer Straße and Schlesisches Tor at 11 a.m. Many of the cell phones of fellow travelers give the alarm tone, the work cell phone too. However, his private mobile phone gave just as little a sign as the subway displays or loudspeakers.
Mobile phone providers had sent the first test warnings to their customers last week. They point to the new warning system called Cell Broadcast.
The warning day of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) is the beginning of an intensive operational test phase for the new warning channel Cell Broadcast. But: “In this test phase, not all mobile phone users in Germany will be able to receive a warning message via cell broadcast,” said the BBK.
Cell broadcast is independent of the mobile operator, but must be activated on the mobile device. “Cell broadcast makes it possible to send warnings to a large number of people easily, quickly, precisely and with little data and is therefore ideal for alerting in an emergency,” says the BBK.
also read: Warning day on December 8th: Cell phones are ringing all over Germany
Warning day in Berlin: sirens remain silent
As of November 1, 2022, 28 sirens were set up, but these loud warning devices are planned. According to the Senate Interior Administration, these should be in place by the end of 2023. Berlin is being supported by the federal government with almost five million euros for the construction.
The problem is that the sirens are controlled via a nationwide modular warning system. However, this should not go into operation until 2024 at the earliest. “The sirens can only be used as warning devices in conjunction with the existing channels when the federal government has provided the corresponding digital radio interface to the modular warning system,” said a spokeswoman for the interior administration. “Since this should not be the case until the beginning of 2024 according to the current level of information, the real operation of the sirens is not to be expected until then at the earliest.”
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