The Ministry of the Interior and Administration (MSWiA) and mobile network operators are due to sign a letter of intent on building a Cell Broadcast system on Wednesday, 14 October. According to “Rzeczpospolita”, the warning system is to launch in 2027, and most of the costs will be borne by the state.
Cell Broadcast is an additional public alert system. Alerts are sent from transmitters on masts directly to phones within their range, without SMS messages being sent to individual numbers. As “Rzeczpospolita” describes, in its article of 14 October, MSWiA will announce an agreement with mobile networks on Wednesday. The document is to take the form of a letter of intent.
Who will pay
According to “Rzeczpospolita”, the state will cover the largest share of the costs. Operators had for months argued that a solution serving the protection of citizens should be financed from public funds. Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński announced that the system would launch next year. The operators consider this timeline tight, so implementation may, in their view, cost more.
No exact amount has been given. The paper cites estimates by Bogusław Kułakowski, former head of the Era network (now T-Mobile), who spoke of PLN 52–108 million. These include, among other things, the government alert platform CAP Gateway (EUR 2–5 million), software in each of the four operators’ networks (EUR 1.5–3 million each), and an upgrade of base station infrastructure (EUR 3–8 million). These are estimates, not an official project budget. According to the paper, Latvia reported that its system cost about EUR 3 million.
When and why
Earlier, representatives of the Interior Ministry pointed to September 2027 as the launch date. According to Wirtualna Polska, this date is not unconditional. The ministry had previously written about the need to expand infrastructure, purchase licences, develop technical solutions and establish a funding model. Reports indicate the system is to operate mainly on 4G and 5G networks.
Cell Broadcast is meant to supplement the existing SMS alerts from the Government Security Centre (RCB). This is set out in the act on the protection of the population and civil defence. According to “Rzeczpospolita”, the idea first emerged earlier, when Maciej Wąsik headed the ministry, but was not implemented at the time.
What it means
The RCB alert continues to work as an SMS. Cell Broadcast will not replace it immediately, because a central platform still needs to be built, the networks of the four operators adapted and tests carried out. According to the industry, the technology can reach all phones within a base station’s range, including in silent mode, without installing an app and without overloading networks. Ultimately, the warning may therefore arrive faster and reach people who did not receive an SMS.
As of publication, the content of the letter of intent, a specific launch date and the total amount the state will allocate are not known. The details are to be presented by the Interior Ministry.
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