Hamburg. The Nationwide Alert Day 2023 took place throughout Germany today.[A1] A test alert was triggered at 11 a.m. and transmitted on all warning channels in the country. The annual Nationwide Alert Day serves to draw public attention in Germany to information and warning channels in the event of natural disasters, terrorism and cyber- or armed attacks. On this day, the federal government, the federal states and numerous local authorities, municipalities and cities test the function and connection of all relevant alert multipliers and alert systems.
The main focus of the Alert Day is the Modular Warning System (MoWaS), which mecom Medien-Communikations-Gesellschaft mbH developed and has been operating for the Federal Republic of Germany since 2001 on behalf of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK). MoWaS is used nationwide by connected alert stations as a central message hub for issuing official public alerts.
“From our point of view, the Nationwide Alert Day was very successful again this year,“ said Alexander Feldmann, Managing Director of mecom. “Our entire technical infrastructure surrounding the Modular Warning System worked reliably as expected. We are pleased that we were able to contribute significantly to the success of the Alert Day for all partners involved.“
The nationwide stress test of the alert system was preceded by months of preparation at mecom. Mandy Best, who manages the company together with Alexander Feldmann, added:
“Our entire team works continuously and intensively to ensure that the Modular Warning System functions smoothly around the clock, 365 days a year, so that people in Germany can be warned of dangers promptly at all times. We are proud that we have been successfully carrying out this responsible project together with the BBK and other partners for more than 20 years and are constantly developing it further.“
About the Alert Day:
On the Nationwide Alert Day, the federal and state governments as well as the participating districts, district-free cities and municipalities test their alert equipment in a joint exercise. Participation is voluntary; not all local authorities take part.
In the course of the Alert Day, the participating authorities and emergency services activate different alert systems such as radio and television, digital city display boards, the Cell Broadcast system launched in February 2023 or warning apps. The existing alert systems are tested depending on their availability and operational capability. In this way, the technical processes in the event of an alert and also the alert systems themselves can be checked for their proper functioning and possible weaknesses.
Afterwards, the responsible authorities carry out improvements, if necessary, to make the public alert system even safer. The Nationwide Alert Day also serves the purpose of informing people in Germany about the public alert system. This enables them to react faster and more effectively in the event of an emergency.
About mecom:
mecom Medien-Communikations-Gesellschaft mbH (in short: mecom), based in Hamburg, was founded in 1989 and is a joint venture of the news agencies dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH, dpa-AFX Wirtschaftsnachrichten GmbH, KNA Katholische Nachrichten-Agentur GmbH, GEP Gemeinschaftswerk der Evangelischen Publizistik gGmbH with epd and AFP Agence France-Presse GmbH. dpa is the largest shareholder with 50 percent of mecom shares. As a modern IT service provider, mecom designs and operates innovative and customised solutions for professional high-security and communication applications. This includes, for example, the reliable transmission of sensitive data via satellite using its own satellite ground stations in the broadcast process or via web technology.
About MoWaS:
mecom develops and operates the Modular Warning System (MoWaS) for the Federal Republic of Germany. This is a powerful alert and communication system used by the federal government and the federal states to warn and inform the population in the event of civil protection emergencies and disasters. Alert messages are transmitted simultaneously in real time via numerous channels. The system is tamper-proof and resistant to power failures or failures of the terrestrial transmission channels.
Contact:
mecom Medien-Communikations-Gesellschaft mbH
Mittelweg 143
20148 Hamburg
E-Mail: mail@mecom.de
Telephone: +40 40 4113-32800
[A1]on September 14
