I wonder if IPhones with the "don't bother me I'm driving" feature will get the alert while driving?
CRTC: Wireless companies must be able to send emergency alerts
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Emergency system fails first test in Quebec, hit and miss in Ontario
Canadian Press
Published:
May 7, 2018
Updated:
May 7, 2018 4:31 PM EDT
A text message from Telus is seen on a smart phone in Toronto on Friday, May 4, 2018. Mobile devices across Canada will be buzzing a little more than usual this week as emergency management officials test the new nationwide public alerting system. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
A glitch in the new national public alert system for mobile devices affected the entire province of Quebec on Monday, said a CRTC spokeswoman, while in Ontario the test warning messages appeared to be hit and miss.
Shortly after the test was scheduled to reach mobile devices in Ontario, at 1:55 p.m. ET, social media was flooded with messages from people confirming they had received the signal, others who had not and still others who appeared startled or even surprised by it.
“I forgot that we were getting that emergency alert testing on our phones,” wrote one Twitter user, going only by Mary.
“But I got forcibly reminded, all right. And there is not enough hot chocolate in the world to calm me down right now.”
Another Twitter user, Brent Morris, wrote that some people at his office got the alert on their phones, but he didn’t.
“I guess if the world ends, I’m the last to know,” he quipped.
For those who did receive it the message read, in part, “This is a test of Ontario’s Alert Ready System. There is no danger to your health or safety.”
In Quebec, where the test did not go as planned shortly before 10 a.m., the problem did not originate with cellphone service providers but appears to have occurred between emergency management in the province and Pelmorex Corp., which operates the system, said the CRTC’s Patricia Valladao.
“The alerts are actually coming from the emergency management in the region and then it goes to Pelmorex,” Valladao said.
In an email to The Canadian Press, Pelmorex issued a statement explaining what happened.
“A space incorrectly included in the coding prevented the Alert Ready System from sending the Quebec test message to compatible wireless devices earlier this morning,” it read, adding the misconfiguration was quickly corrected.
The statement also pointed out the Quebec test “did broadcast successfully on TV and radio.”
In Ontario, the test alerts were also expected to be broadcast across TV and radio airwaves, but in some cases no messages were seen on TV screens.
Valladao pointed out at least it was just a test and not a real emergency. “That’s why they were running tests — to see if something went wrong.”
Depending on settings, users with compatible devices connected to an LTE network were expected to hear a tone similar to an ambulance siren or feel a vibration for eight seconds. Devices that were turned off would not receive the signal but phone users receiving the alerts would have heard their conversations interrupted by a sound similar to a call-waiting tone.
The tests were being conducted after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ordered wireless providers to implement the system to distribute warnings of imminent safety threats, such as tornadoes, floods, Amber Alerts or terrorist threats.
A similar system is already used in the United States and made headlines earlier this year when an emergency official in Hawaii mistakenly sent an alert about a potential incoming ballistic missile.
A report issued last month by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said the false alarm, which went uncorrected for 38 minutes after being transmitted and caused widespread panic across the Pacific islands state, was a result of human error and inadequate safeguards.
“The CRTC has no insights with respect to what occurred in Hawaii, other than what has been reported in the media,” the regulator said.
But it added that Canada has safeguards in place to prevent false signals from being distributed to mobile devices.
Unlike wireless emergency alerts issued in the United States, Canada’s system requires a specific vibration cadence, alert tone and banner to notify users of an emergency.
As well, the emergency alerts are not text — or SMS — messages, but are distributed using what’s known as cell broadcast technology. The messages can’t be tracked by service providers so they can’t tell who has or has not received the alert, the CRTC said.
Here are the scheduled times for tests scheduled for later this week outside Ontario and Quebec. All times are local:
Wednesday:
Yukon 1:30 p.m.
Northwest Territories 1:55 p.m.
Alberta 1:55 p.m.
British-Columbia 1:55 p.m.
Saskatchewan 1:55 p.m.
Manitoba 1:55 p.m.
Newfoundland and Labrador 1:55 p.m.
Nova Scotia 1:55 p.m.
Prince Edward Island 1:55 p.m.
New-Brunswick 6:55 p.m.
Emergency system fails first test in Quebec, hit and miss in Ontario | Toronto Sun
Canadian Press
Published:
May 7, 2018
Updated:
May 7, 2018 4:31 PM EDT
A text message from Telus is seen on a smart phone in Toronto on Friday, May 4, 2018. Mobile devices across Canada will be buzzing a little more than usual this week as emergency management officials test the new nationwide public alerting system. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy
A glitch in the new national public alert system for mobile devices affected the entire province of Quebec on Monday, said a CRTC spokeswoman, while in Ontario the test warning messages appeared to be hit and miss.
Shortly after the test was scheduled to reach mobile devices in Ontario, at 1:55 p.m. ET, social media was flooded with messages from people confirming they had received the signal, others who had not and still others who appeared startled or even surprised by it.
“I forgot that we were getting that emergency alert testing on our phones,” wrote one Twitter user, going only by Mary.
“But I got forcibly reminded, all right. And there is not enough hot chocolate in the world to calm me down right now.”
Another Twitter user, Brent Morris, wrote that some people at his office got the alert on their phones, but he didn’t.
“I guess if the world ends, I’m the last to know,” he quipped.
For those who did receive it the message read, in part, “This is a test of Ontario’s Alert Ready System. There is no danger to your health or safety.”
In Quebec, where the test did not go as planned shortly before 10 a.m., the problem did not originate with cellphone service providers but appears to have occurred between emergency management in the province and Pelmorex Corp., which operates the system, said the CRTC’s Patricia Valladao.
“The alerts are actually coming from the emergency management in the region and then it goes to Pelmorex,” Valladao said.
In an email to The Canadian Press, Pelmorex issued a statement explaining what happened.
“A space incorrectly included in the coding prevented the Alert Ready System from sending the Quebec test message to compatible wireless devices earlier this morning,” it read, adding the misconfiguration was quickly corrected.
The statement also pointed out the Quebec test “did broadcast successfully on TV and radio.”
In Ontario, the test alerts were also expected to be broadcast across TV and radio airwaves, but in some cases no messages were seen on TV screens.
Valladao pointed out at least it was just a test and not a real emergency. “That’s why they were running tests — to see if something went wrong.”
Depending on settings, users with compatible devices connected to an LTE network were expected to hear a tone similar to an ambulance siren or feel a vibration for eight seconds. Devices that were turned off would not receive the signal but phone users receiving the alerts would have heard their conversations interrupted by a sound similar to a call-waiting tone.
The tests were being conducted after the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission ordered wireless providers to implement the system to distribute warnings of imminent safety threats, such as tornadoes, floods, Amber Alerts or terrorist threats.
A similar system is already used in the United States and made headlines earlier this year when an emergency official in Hawaii mistakenly sent an alert about a potential incoming ballistic missile.
A report issued last month by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission said the false alarm, which went uncorrected for 38 minutes after being transmitted and caused widespread panic across the Pacific islands state, was a result of human error and inadequate safeguards.
“The CRTC has no insights with respect to what occurred in Hawaii, other than what has been reported in the media,” the regulator said.
But it added that Canada has safeguards in place to prevent false signals from being distributed to mobile devices.
Unlike wireless emergency alerts issued in the United States, Canada’s system requires a specific vibration cadence, alert tone and banner to notify users of an emergency.
As well, the emergency alerts are not text — or SMS — messages, but are distributed using what’s known as cell broadcast technology. The messages can’t be tracked by service providers so they can’t tell who has or has not received the alert, the CRTC said.
Here are the scheduled times for tests scheduled for later this week outside Ontario and Quebec. All times are local:
Wednesday:
Yukon 1:30 p.m.
Northwest Territories 1:55 p.m.
Alberta 1:55 p.m.
British-Columbia 1:55 p.m.
Saskatchewan 1:55 p.m.
Manitoba 1:55 p.m.
Newfoundland and Labrador 1:55 p.m.
Nova Scotia 1:55 p.m.
Prince Edward Island 1:55 p.m.
New-Brunswick 6:55 p.m.
Emergency system fails first test in Quebec, hit and miss in Ontario | Toronto Sun
I don't have iOS11. I am still on 10 since I still like my 16 bit apps.
My wife is on iOS11 and she also did not get the alert.
I think you meant 32 to 64 bit system...
I had a 32 bit app that didn't get updated to 64 bit before the software update...
It still works on my phone now..
But when I tried to download a copy to my Ipad, I can't even find it in the app store.....
I had a 32 bit app that didn't get updated to 64 bit before the software update...
It still works on my phone now..
But when I tried to download a copy to my Ipad, I can't even find it in the app store.....
Fail in BC. Typical of anything run by government. Didn't get any message and some radio stations didn't get the message either.
3 of us in the same office compared notes, 1 person got a text (no audible alert) and 2 of us nothing.
Big fail here to
Big fail here to
I'm with Bell but Haven't got anything yet...
Their alerts on satellite Express-view sure work but are a pain in the butt!!!
Their alerts on satellite Express-view sure work but are a pain in the butt!!!
I got the alert on my work cell phone but not my personal. Both cells on the same network, both current devices.
Pelmorex has released a media response saying it's the fault of people's devices. They say you must be on LTE network and your device must have the newest OS version. Both my phones check the boxes, so not sure how they explain that. I heard that some people with old flip phones got the alert, not sure what OS they were running.
Pelmorex has released a media response saying it's the fault of people's devices. They say you must be on LTE network and your device must have the newest OS version. Both my phones check the boxes, so not sure how they explain that. I heard that some people with old flip phones got the alert, not sure what OS they were running.
I guess that Bell didn't need to test their system on phones......
I just received an amber alert on my phone while I was walking, half an hour ago and when I got home the tv ( Bell Express-vu) had switched by itself to the alert channel
I just received an amber alert on my phone while I was walking, half an hour ago and when I got home the tv ( Bell Express-vu) had switched by itself to the alert channel
That amber alert was for a young girl named McCallum...
Wonder if it's any relations to a member that's absent on the forum to-day????
Wonder if it's any relations to a member that's absent on the forum to-day????
Boy. This one was heard by about 1/2 the phones at the office. Some got "Presidential Alert". Those were Androids. I still got nothing as did others. One thing is clear, you need iOS11 to get it as those with iOS10 all did not. But others with iOS11 also did not get it.
Some got alerts which recited the alert in english and then multiple times in French.
I did get alerts from the Weather Network, CP24 and the old text service which said it was no longer sending alerts since the new system replaced it.
I'm still quite happy not to receive the messages. Having managed to live on the coast for over 60 years without a Sunami warning I think I can do the next 20 the same way.
Alert Ready system to be tested across the county again
Canadian Press
Published:
November 28, 2018
Updated:
November 28, 2018 8:45 AM EST
A smartphone and a television receive visual and audio alerts to test Alert Ready, a national public alert system in Montreal on May 7, 2018.Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS
OAKVILLE, Ont. — Most Canadians can expect their mobile phones, televisions and radios to sound off today as the Alert Ready system undergoes a second round of testing.
Provincial emergency management organizations will conduct simultaneous public alerting tests across the country in a bid to make sure people receive emergency alerts and can take action to stay safe.
Test alerts are supposed to appear on updated and compatible mobile devices connected to an LTE wireless network at 1:55 p.m. local time, with the exception of Quebec where the test will be done an hour later.
This second test comes after Manitoba Infrastructure’s Emergency Measures Organizations said only 60 per cent of wireless users received an alert in a test of the system in May.
The first test didn’t sound at all in Quebec due to a coding error, which the system operator said was fixed within a couple of hours.
In Ontario, some test alerts were heard and felt on mobile devices, but many wireless subscribers didn’t receive any signals.
The CRTC requires 50 per cent of wireless devices sold in Canada to be compatible with Alert Ready, but the coverage rate should increase after April when compatibility will be a requirement in all devices for sale.
http://torontosun.com/news/national/alert-ready-system-to-be-tested-across-the-county-again
Canadian Press
Published:
November 28, 2018
Updated:
November 28, 2018 8:45 AM EST
A smartphone and a television receive visual and audio alerts to test Alert Ready, a national public alert system in Montreal on May 7, 2018.Ryan Remiorz / THE CANADIAN PRESS
OAKVILLE, Ont. — Most Canadians can expect their mobile phones, televisions and radios to sound off today as the Alert Ready system undergoes a second round of testing.
Provincial emergency management organizations will conduct simultaneous public alerting tests across the country in a bid to make sure people receive emergency alerts and can take action to stay safe.
Test alerts are supposed to appear on updated and compatible mobile devices connected to an LTE wireless network at 1:55 p.m. local time, with the exception of Quebec where the test will be done an hour later.
This second test comes after Manitoba Infrastructure’s Emergency Measures Organizations said only 60 per cent of wireless users received an alert in a test of the system in May.
The first test didn’t sound at all in Quebec due to a coding error, which the system operator said was fixed within a couple of hours.
In Ontario, some test alerts were heard and felt on mobile devices, but many wireless subscribers didn’t receive any signals.
The CRTC requires 50 per cent of wireless devices sold in Canada to be compatible with Alert Ready, but the coverage rate should increase after April when compatibility will be a requirement in all devices for sale.
http://torontosun.com/news/national/alert-ready-system-to-be-tested-across-the-county-again
Second Alert Ready system test better, but some still didn't get alert
Canadian Press
Published:
November 28, 2018
Updated:
November 28, 2018 9:19 PM EST
A smartphone and a television receive visual and audio alerts to test Alert Ready, a national public alert system Monday, May 7, 2018 in Montreal. It wasn't perfect but officials say the second test of Canada's new national public-alert system for mobile devices went better than the initial test six months ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
UNDATED, Canada — It wasn’t perfect but officials say the second test of Canada’s new national public-alert system for mobile devices went better than the initial test six months ago.
Mobile phones, televisions and radios were abuzz across the country Wednesday as the Alert Ready system sent test alerts at 1:55 p.m. local time, with the exception of Quebec where the test was done an hour later.
“In terms of how it went I would say it’s a significant improvement over May,” said Tim Warmington, a spokesman for Public Safety Canada.
“The alerts were issued in every province and territory across the country on TV, radio and wireless.”
Only 60 per cent of wireless users in Manitoba received an alert in the test of the system last May. In Ontario, some test alerts were heard and felt on mobile devices, but many wireless subscribers didn’t receive any signals.
The first test didn’t sound at all in Quebec due to a coding error, which the system operator said was fixed within a couple of hours.
Warmington said he doesn’t have data yet on how many Canadians received the latest alert. But he said you can be assured that it’s higher than last time.
“It was well documented the issue within Quebec, which has a quarter of the population right there. So just the fact the alert went out in Quebec means it absolutely will be better.”
An official with Pelmorex, which runs the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination (NAAD) system, said the test was successful in every province.
“We quickly validate and disseminate these alerts securely to television and radio broadcasters and wireless service providers for distribution to the public,” said Martin Belanger, director of public alerting.
“We can confirm that the NAAD system, part of Alert Ready, worked as intended for all test messages today.”
But not everyone received the alerts.
On the East Coast, users reported varying experiences, with some people not getting an alert. One Newfoundland resident got the alert on her work iPhone, but not on her personal Android phone.
In Nova Scotia, some Twitter users reported that they did not receive the emergency test.
“I guess I just remain in the dark!” wrote Twitter user Suzanne Rent from Halifax.
Nova Scotia Twitter user Nick Yorke tweeted: “My phone never seems to receive the emergency alert messages. I guess I’ll just die.”
There were also posts on social media from Manitobans who said they didn’t receive the alert.
But the province’s infrastructure minister, Ron Schuler, said the test went well and virtually everyone would have received it, unless their phone was off, on airplane mode or had older technology.
“(Providers) felt there was a 60 per cent coverage rate (in the May test), just because there were problems with the technology, and this time around, the technology worked flawlessly,” he said.
Warmington said testing of the system isn’t done.
“You’re always testing it. There’s always room for improvement. You always want it to be better.”
With files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg and Rob Roberts in Halifax
http://torontosun.com/news/national...em-test-better-but-some-still-didnt-get-alert
Canadian Press
Published:
November 28, 2018
Updated:
November 28, 2018 9:19 PM EST
A smartphone and a television receive visual and audio alerts to test Alert Ready, a national public alert system Monday, May 7, 2018 in Montreal. It wasn't perfect but officials say the second test of Canada's new national public-alert system for mobile devices went better than the initial test six months ago. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
UNDATED, Canada — It wasn’t perfect but officials say the second test of Canada’s new national public-alert system for mobile devices went better than the initial test six months ago.
Mobile phones, televisions and radios were abuzz across the country Wednesday as the Alert Ready system sent test alerts at 1:55 p.m. local time, with the exception of Quebec where the test was done an hour later.
“In terms of how it went I would say it’s a significant improvement over May,” said Tim Warmington, a spokesman for Public Safety Canada.
“The alerts were issued in every province and territory across the country on TV, radio and wireless.”
Only 60 per cent of wireless users in Manitoba received an alert in the test of the system last May. In Ontario, some test alerts were heard and felt on mobile devices, but many wireless subscribers didn’t receive any signals.
The first test didn’t sound at all in Quebec due to a coding error, which the system operator said was fixed within a couple of hours.
Warmington said he doesn’t have data yet on how many Canadians received the latest alert. But he said you can be assured that it’s higher than last time.
“It was well documented the issue within Quebec, which has a quarter of the population right there. So just the fact the alert went out in Quebec means it absolutely will be better.”
An official with Pelmorex, which runs the National Alert Aggregation and Dissemination (NAAD) system, said the test was successful in every province.
“We quickly validate and disseminate these alerts securely to television and radio broadcasters and wireless service providers for distribution to the public,” said Martin Belanger, director of public alerting.
“We can confirm that the NAAD system, part of Alert Ready, worked as intended for all test messages today.”
But not everyone received the alerts.
On the East Coast, users reported varying experiences, with some people not getting an alert. One Newfoundland resident got the alert on her work iPhone, but not on her personal Android phone.
In Nova Scotia, some Twitter users reported that they did not receive the emergency test.
“I guess I just remain in the dark!” wrote Twitter user Suzanne Rent from Halifax.
Nova Scotia Twitter user Nick Yorke tweeted: “My phone never seems to receive the emergency alert messages. I guess I’ll just die.”
There were also posts on social media from Manitobans who said they didn’t receive the alert.
But the province’s infrastructure minister, Ron Schuler, said the test went well and virtually everyone would have received it, unless their phone was off, on airplane mode or had older technology.
“(Providers) felt there was a 60 per cent coverage rate (in the May test), just because there were problems with the technology, and this time around, the technology worked flawlessly,” he said.
Warmington said testing of the system isn’t done.
“You’re always testing it. There’s always room for improvement. You always want it to be better.”
With files from Steve Lambert in Winnipeg and Rob Roberts in Halifax
http://torontosun.com/news/national...em-test-better-but-some-still-didnt-get-alert