In the city Gabrovo, November 2023, BG-ALERT system tests are ahead. The purpose of the tests is to check the functioning of the system and for the population to gain an understanding of the messages and accompanying behaviour of mobile devices.
The tests will be conducted on the following dates:
• 07.11.2023 (Tuesday) – for Gabrovo region;
• 11.14.2023 (Tuesday) – for the areas of Vidin, Vratsa, Lovec, Montana and Pleven;
• November 15, 2023 (Wednesday) – for Veliko Tarnovo, Razgrad, Ruse and Silistra areas;
• 11.16.2023 (Thursday) – for Varna, Dobrich, Targovishte and Shumen areas;
• November 21, 2023 (Tuesday) – for Burgas, Sliven, Stara Zagora and Yambol areas;
• 22.11.2023 (Wednesday) – for the areas of Blagoevgrad, Kyustendil, Pernik, Sofia and Sofia region;
• November 23, 2023 (Thursday) – for the regions of Kardzhali, Pazardzhik, Plovdiv, Smolyan and Haskovo;
• 29.11.2023 (Wednesday) – national test across the country.
When conducting each test for half an hour from 12:00 to 12:30 pm., a message containing text in Bulgarian and English will be broadcast.
Receiving the message on a mobile device is expected to be one-time and accompanied by a specific sound and vibration, even when a quiet (silent) mode is activated.
The aim of the test was to assess how well the system works and detect any possible problems. The alert was sent out via the Cell Broadcasting System (CBS), which enables mobile operators to dispatch text messages to all phones within a designated area.
Various countries, including European and Asian countries, conducted emergency alert systems in 2023.
The USA and Russia tested their alert system on the same day, October 4, 2023; neutral observers pointed out that the United States and Russia had checked their emergency alert system, triggering a chain of messages that was sent to many people among their populations.
The question that arises is whether this was a simple check or an organized move with a different purpose. The timing of both nations was in sync, which has also sparked rumours that the emergency system checks that both countries conducted are co-related.