Article content

A system to alert Canadians to natural disasters and other public safety emergencies via their smartphones is another step closer to reality.

But the government is closely managing the rollout of a complex system where errors can lead to mass panic, as witnessed earlier this year when people in Hawaii received a false alert of an imminent nuclear attack on their mobile devices.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Canada poised to launch emergency alert system on smartphones Back to video

The federal communications regulator this week approved a plan to raise awareness of the mobile warning system that can send messages, distinct vibrations and sounds to millions of smartphones in situations posing imminent threats to the safety of life or property. Wireless operators must be able to deliver such messages over LTE networks by April 6.

Wireless providers, emergency management officials, various levels of government and Pelmorex Corp., owner of The Weather Network, plan to launch the public education campaign later this month after receiving the green light from the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.