The SI-ALARM natural disaster alert system will soon be launched

The establishment of the system is based on a contract concluded with Telekom Slovenije, which will ensure its operation together with other operators. The State Secretary from the Ministry of Digital Transformation emphasized that the new system will be an important step towards better protection of people and property in crisis situations.

Push notifications on mobile devices

The system will use push notifications that users will receive directly on their mobile devices. This means that the messages will not be SMS, but will be delivered via a special communication protocol that enables fast and reliable notification in a specific geographical area. The warnings will be issued by the Slovenian Civil Protection and Rescue Administration.

Alerts will be categorized into four levels based on the severity of the situation. The highest level of alert will activate a loud sound signal, independent of the phone's settings, and will also include a vibration in the form of an SOS signal. Receiving such alerts will not be possible, but users will be able to turn off lower levels.

Key features of the system:

• Receiving messages is automatic and free.
• Messages will be transmitted in Slovenian and English, and in areas of ethnic communities also in Italian or Hungarian.
• The system does not use or request any personal data from recipients of SI-ALARM notifications.
• The system will also work on older mobile phones and without an internet connection (without data transfer).

Messages in multiple languages

Messages will be delivered in several languages. The primary language will be Slovenian, but also English and – in certain areas – also Italian or Hungarian, where dictated by the linguistic composition of the population.

The system will also enable better reaching of people with hearing or vision impairments, which those responsible have described as crucial for effective crisis communication.

Public testing in September

The system will also be tested before the official launch. Initially, the tests will be conducted internally within the operators, without affecting the general public. Public tests are planned for September.

The project is funded by the Ministry of Digital Transformation, and funds have been allocated to four mobile operators: T-2, A1 Slovenia, Telemach Slovenia and Telekom Slovenije. The latter will play a leading role in establishing the common infrastructure.

The value of the contract for establishing the system is 2.1 million euros, and an additional 2.4 million euros will be allocated for its maintenance and management over the next five years.

Although this type of system has been mandatory in the EU since 2022, Slovenia is only now catching up with most member states with this project.