Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’ interior ministry said a new wave of test emergency text messages will be sent to mobile phones across the country on Friday afternoon. The messages will be staggered by district and include a separate batch for users with pre-paid SIM cards.
Schedule and targeted recipients
The ministry said users with pre-paid SIM cards will be the first to receive messages at 4.30pm, regardless of their location, with further messages sent at 30-minute intervals.
Messages will be sent to users in the Paphos district at 5pm, the Famagusta district at 5.30pm, the Nicosia district at 6pm, the Larnaca district at 6.30pm, and the Limassol district at 7pm.
Technical adjustments after earlier test
The ministry said the latest test follows an earlier trial in which some users received messages up to two hours late or did not receive them. It said necessary technical adjustments have been made in collaboration with telecommunications providers to improve the message sending process.
How district references will appear
The messages will reference the district in which the recipient is located, but the ministry clarified that this will be based on the district the user lives in according to information provided to their telecommunications provider, rather than the district where the user may be at the time the message is received.
Purpose of the test
The ministry said the aim is to ensure the ability to send a large number of messages in a short period of time so the system can be used as an additional measure to inform the public, if and when needed.
Will you check whether you receive the test message at the scheduled time for your category or district?
