Got a 4G LTE cellphone? Live in (or visiting) Canada?

[robkelk]

Starting April 6 - tomorrow! - all 4G LTE cellphones in Canada will automatically get AlertReady warning messages. So don't be surprised if your phone starts making that annoying alert noise that the radio alerts always start with.

For the geeky types amongst us: All cellphone companies in Canada are now required to deliver federal, provincial, and local emergency messages via cell broadcast to all WPA-compatible LTE devices. Messages will be targeted geographically (each tower will only broadcast alerts pertaining to the area that the tower is in) and cannot be suppressed except by turning off the phone altogether. (Yes, this means you might get an alert at 3AM - but it's a frikkin' emergency, folks!)

Alert types: Fire, Tornado, Flash Flood, Earthquake, Hurricane, Tsunami, Thunderstorm, Storm Surge, Landslide, Dam Overflow, Magnetic Storm (although I can't imagine how this type of alert would get through - if a magnetic storm's powerful enough for an alert, it'll have already fried phones' electronics), Meteorite, Lahar, Pyroclastic Flow, Pyroclastic Surge, Volcanic Ash, Biological hazard, Chemical hazard, Radiological hazard, Drinking Water Contamination, Explosives, Air Quality, Falling Object, Terrorist Threat, Civil Emergency, Animal Danger, Amber Alert (abducted child), 911 Service Disruption, Test.