Test of the national warning system: zonal SMS alerts and sirens

As part of the reform of the national warning system, the government will continue to implement its national warning system testing strategy on Monday 6 June 2022 by carrying out the monthly test of the siren network and by sending an SMS warning message, which will be tested within a specific area this time.

The zonal alert test SMS which will be sent will therefore concern only the population present on the territory of the following communes: Troisvierges, Weiswampach, Wincrange, Clervaux, Parc Hosingen, Putscheid, Vianden, Wiltz, Winseler, Kiischpelt, Lac de la Haute-Sûre, Boulaide, Esch-sur-Sûre, Goesdorf.

Please note that only those people whose mobile phones are connected to a mobile phone base station in the above-mentioned area at the time the alert is issued will receive the following SMS: "LU-ALERT / ALERTE TEST / NO ACTION REQUIRED / AUCUNE ACTION REQUISE / KEINE HANDLUNG ERFORDERLICH / INFOS: MINT.PUBLIC.LU"

It should be noted that no personal data will be collected or stored by the State as part of the tests of the national alert system. Furthermore, in order to ensure that real and test alert messages are clearly distinguishable, it should be specified that the passage "No action required / Aucune action requise / Keine Handlung erforderlich" will only be mentioned in the test messages.

It should also be noted that there may be a delay between the sending and receiving of test SMS messages, so that not all citizens receive the test message at the same time. It is understood that no individual communication channel can achieve 100% coverage. However, in order to achieve satisfactory coverage, it is recalled that the government has chosen to implement a multi-channel approach that will eventually reach as many people as possible, by combining the strengths of the different communication channels.

The aim of the tests is to ensure the functionality of the different alert channels, to identify possible areas for improvement and, above all, to make citizens aware of the need to use the different alert channels. The test strategy, which is long-term and will take place on a regular basis, is aimed at ensuring the resilience of the population in the face of emergency or crisis situations that could have an impact on public safety.

In the interest of continuous improvement, recipients are invited to send any feedback they may have to the government at the following address: lu-alert@mi.etat.lu.

The test on 2 May 2022 was successful, with the vast majority of SMS messages delivered within one hour. However, one mobile operator had a technical problem during the test, which resulted in some messages being received with a delay that was considered late. This incident demonstrates and underlines the importance of regular large-scale testing.

Press release by the Ministry of State, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the High Commission for National Protection

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