Cyprus’s Interior Ministry has acknowledged that Wednesday’s test emergency SMS alert reached subscribers at different times depending on their telecoms provider, after the system was rolled out to evaluate how quickly the public could be notified in an emergency.
The ministry said a significant number of subscribers received the message promptly, while others experienced delays. The discrepancy was attributed to differing delivery times across telecoms providers.
The Deputy Ministry of Innovation, Research and Digital Policy is now in talks with providers to explore whether delivery times can be reduced, and the measure will be reassessed, the announcement said.
Existing public information channels remain in place should the need arise, the ministry added.
As of the time of the Ministry’s announcement, many people reported not receiving the message.
The Cypriot government has received criticism over it’s failure to set up an emergency alarm system before. Critics said that the system could have saved lives during a fire that devastated Limassol in July 2025.
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