The next tests in the territories will start on September

With the test held on Monday 10 July 2023 in Emilia-Romagna, the first phase of the test of IT-alert, the public alert system Italy is equipping itself with, came to an end.

Between the end of June and the start of July, in fact, the Civil Protection Department, with the civil protection structures of Tuscany, Sardinia, Sicily, Calabria and, Emilia-Romagna, organised the test activities involving, the population on the territory. Around 12 PM of the established day, the mobile phones, switched on and with a phone connection, of people in the area involved received a test message. The objectives are to make people aware of the new system when IT-alert will be operational, to test its functioning in relation to the different types of phones and operating systems, and to collect indications from users, via the questionnaire, to implement the service.

In the next few weeks, the data - collected and processed anonymously - of the more than 700,000 forms filled out at the end of the five tests will be analysed to investigate in detail the main and recurring elements reported (above all, non-reception in some cases or the continuous arrival of the message in others, some malfunctions, the phenomenon of overshooting). This will also allow mobile phone operators to deepen and re-examine the process of sending the message, the behaviour of phone cells to check coverage and the behaviour of devices such as phones, tablets and smart watches.

Any implementations that may be required will then be verified from September, when the tests in the territories will continue, involving all the other regions and the two Autonomous Provinces by the end of the year.