UK carrier Three confirms issue with customers not receiving Emergency Alert message in first-ever nationwide test

UK carrier Three has confirmed that it is investigating why customers on its network didn’t receive the UK Government’s first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert system, which sends emergency, government, and public safety notifications to all smartphone users in the event of danger to life.

As part of the test, every 4G and 5G compatible smartphone in the country was supposed to receive a warning message accompanied with a loud siren-like sound however, after the test was conducted, it became apparent that not all citizens received the test message as they were supposed to, with many taking to social media to report the Government’s missing message.

Out of those reporting the missing message, many citizens were using the Three mobile network, with the carrier saying on Twitter that it is “working closely with the government to understand why and ensure it doesn’t happen when the system is in use.”

We're aware that a number of customers have not received the test alert.
We're working closely with the government to understand why and ensure it doesn't happen when the system is in use.

— Three UK (@ThreeUK) April 23, 2023

Emergency Alerts will be sent to citizens in the future in the event of severe flooding, fires and extreme weather. The UK Government say Emergency Alert messages will only ever be sent by the emergency services and/or government departments, agencies and public bodies that deal with emergencies.

Emergency Alerts are sent based on the current location of the citizen. The sound and vibration that accompanies the alerts will last for about 10 seconds, even if the device is turned on silent.