Indian government suspends cell broadcast system after authorities flagged issues
India
The government has just suspended the Cell Broadcast System, a mobile-based disaster warning tool, starting June 12, 2026.
This move comes after issues were flagged by the competent authorities.
The service had only been live since May and was meant to quickly alert people about disasters.
Cell broadcast delivered automatic multilingual alerts
Built by the Department of Telecommunications and NDMA, it could send near real-time, location-based alerts straight to your phone in over 19 Indian languages.
It rolled out in Kerala on June 6 and was already used for cyclones and extreme weather days.
Unlike old-school SMS, these alerts popped up automatically on new phones without needing any setup, making them super handy during emergencies before the sudden pause.