Crash warnings: This is how Cell Broadcast protects us from danger!

Crash warnings: This is how Cell Broadcast protects us from danger!

Next Thursday, March 11, 2025, a national warning day will be held in Germany. On this day, sirens and cell phones are activated to point out the population to possible dangerous situations. This was announced by Walter Groß, spokesman for the weirs of the Kirchheimbolanden association. The importance of warnapps is the focus of the discussion, in particular the question of whether users have to install such an app in order to be informed in an emergency. Due to the warnings, the appointments would like to indicate impending dangers such as extreme weather events and other unpredictable situations.

Extreme weather events, such as those led to catastrophic flood situations in the Ahr Valley in 2021, and other dangers, including fall floods, explosions or even amotlets, continue to represent considerable risks for the population. In order to be able to react to these threats, warning apps are a potential means of spreading information. According to the Stiftung Warentest, five of these warning apps were tested in Germany: Nina, Katwarn, Biwapp, warning weather and my level. However, they are only effective if they are downloaded by the users themselves and there is an internet connection.

Cell Broadcast as a new warning system

As part of the discussion about warning systems, a new field of activity is also examined: the alternative warning system called Cell Broadcast. Unlike the conventional warning apps that need to be actively installed, Cell Broadcast enables warning messages to be automatically sent to all cell phones within a specific mobile phone area. This system is already being used successfully in countries such as the USA, Canada and the Netherlands. The advantages of Cell Broadcast lie in the wide range and the ability to function in overloaded mobile phone networks, since the amount of data is low.

It is essential that no app installation is required, which means that older cell phones are also able to receive warning messages. The Bundestag decided in September 2021 to introduce this system in Germany to better inform the population in the event of disasters. A corresponding change from the Telecommunications Act obliges the mobile phone network operators to implement this technology. In February 2022, technical guidelines were published by the Federal Network Agency, and the network operators had time until February 24, 2023 to adapt their systems. The first test of the Cell Broadcast system took place on December 8, 2022 as part of the nationwide warning day and was successfully assessed.

Current information channels and challenges

In addition to the warning apps, radio, television and sirens are still central instruments for warning the population. Current official warning messages can also be accessed via the web portal Warning.bund.de . Despite the positive developments with Cell Broadcast, use encounters some challenges, especially on Android devices, because the warnings are difficult to find. With iPhones there is also no history of this warning news. Nevertheless, the introduction of a comprehensive warning system remains essential to effectively protect the population in Germany.

Overall, the focus is on warning day as an important element in disaster protection, and the various warning mechanisms, including the warning and the new Cell Broadcast system, should help inform the citizens in good time and precisely about impending dangers.