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Cyprus Conducts New Test of Emergency SMS System by Province

Published March 6, 2026, 12:12
Cyprus Conducts New Test of Emergency SMS System by Province

The Ministry of Interior of Cyprus conducted a new test of sending text messages (SMS) to citizens by province today, March 6, 2026, to inform them about self-protection measures. The test began gradually at 4:30 PM and ended at 7:00 PM, with messages sent according to the province declared by the subscriber to their telephone provider. A previous test had taken place, leading to technical adjustments by the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, in collaboration with providers, to improve the sending process. The messages include a reference to the Province concerned by the potential incident. It is noted that the sending of messages is based on the address declared to the provider and not on the subscriber's current location. Subscribers without a declared address will receive a message regardless of the Province. The purpose of the test is to evaluate the ability to send a large number of messages in a short period of time, so that the system can be used as a complementary information measure if necessary. This process is temporary and will be replaced in June by the new Early Warning System. Citizens who receive a message are asked to remain calm and follow the instructions included, such as going to an underground space or staying indoors.