The BG-Alert early warning system for disasters and emergencies once again failed to send messages to citizens in Bulgaria during its scheduled test today. At 11 a.m., only the sirens were activated, but a large number of people did not receive the expected SMS notifications, according to reports.

The test announcement had stated that messages from the BG Alert system would be sent out. However, similar issues were observed during the previous system test in October, when most users did not receive notifications. At the time, the Ministry of Interior claimed that messages had been successfully sent to 98% of citizens but required a special setting on mobile devices to be received. The Ministry assured that in the event of an actual emergency, such settings would not be necessary.

Chief Commissioner Alexander Dzhartov, Director of the General Directorate "Fire Safety and Population Protection," addressed the issue at a briefing. He stated that 98% of mobile operator cells in Bulgaria correctly transmitted the message, while 2% failed to respond. Despite this, many users still did not receive alerts during the test.

Dzhartov explained that mobile phone settings play a crucial role in receiving test messages. Many devices have the test channel disabled by default, requiring manual activation. Other reasons for missing the notification include devices being in airplane mode, incompatibility with such messages, or a lack of Internet and mobile signal at the time of transmission.

According to Dzhartov, the test yielded a high success rate. He noted that telecom operators should also provide input regarding why 2% of cells failed to send messages. However, he clarified that the Ministry of Interior does not have the authority to mandate mobile operators to install signal cells in specific areas.

Currently, 85 municipalities and six regional administrations have personnel trained to operate the BG Alert system. Additional training sessions are planned for 20 more individuals, bringing the total number of trained users to 129. However, Dzhartov emphasized that local authorities are not obligated to train their representatives or utilize the system.

As for the national early warning siren system, which was also tested today, the results of that test have yet to be compiled and analyzed.