Government conducts second emergency SMS system test by province

Following technical difficulties during the initial trial, the Cypriot Ministry of Interior scheduled a second test of its emergency SMS notification system for March 6, 2026. The test was conducted in stages by province between 4:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to ensure large volumes of messages can be processed efficiently. Pre-paid subscribers without a registered address were contacted first, followed by the districts of Paphos, Famagusta, Nicosia, Larnaca, and Limassol. The Ministry clarified that messages are routed based on the address registered with telecommunications providers rather than the recipient's current physical location. Officials from the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy worked with providers to address previous technical issues. A more advanced location-based warning system, intended to detect user presence in specific danger zones, is scheduled for full implementation by early June 2026.