GSMA gets USD $1.2 million for Pacific warning alerts

The GSMA has secured USD $1.2 million from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to strengthen mobile-enabled early warning systems in nine Pacific Island countries. The funding will support the rollout of cell broadcast emergency alerts across the region.

The programme covers the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. It is intended to help authorised agencies send warnings to mobile phones in defined areas during emergencies.

Cell broadcast is designed to deliver alerts to large numbers of compatible handsets at the same time. It can also avoid some of the delays that affect calls and text messages when networks come under pressure during disasters.

Under the project, the GSMA will work with mobile network operators, national disaster management authorities, regulators and local partners. The work will cover technical preparation and the operating procedures needed to issue alerts, including responsibilities for authorising and sending messages.

Regional effort

The funding is part of the Pacific Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems Communication & Tools Project. The GSMA will lead the cell broadcast work in coordination with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research through its COMET Program.

The Weather Ready Pacific Program has also provided technical support and regional coordination for the implementation of the activities. The wider project is intended to support hazard monitoring, forecasting and warning communications across the Pacific.

Early warning systems help communities prepare for hazards and respond before conditions worsen. Mobile alerts are one way to reach people quickly, alongside channels such as radio, television and community-based communications.

Effective warning systems depend on public policy, coordination between authorities and mobile operators, and messages that people can understand and act on, according to the GSMA. The organisation has argued that mobile alerts should be integrated into national warning frameworks rather than treated as stand-alone systems.

Existing work

This latest funding builds on work that began in 2025 with the Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association and Omnitouch Network Services. That earlier effort brought together mobile operators, meteorological services, regulators, UN agencies and governments to advance mobile early warning systems in the region.

The initiative also sits within the GSMA's broader work on the Early Warnings for All programme. Through its Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation programme and regional teams, the organisation has been working with partners on mobile-based warning systems in several regions.

Kimberly Brown, head of Mobile for Humanitarian Innovation & Emerging Tech at the GSMA, highlighted the role of mobile networks in disaster communications and the importance of long-term coordination between public and private sector bodies.

"Mobile networks are a crucial channel to reach people with lifesaving information in advance of disasters. Sustained investment and longstanding partnerships between governments, mobile operators and a broad constellation of partners are vital to develop and deliver national early warning systems. This funding from NOAA will accelerate the implementation of mobile-enabled early warning systems in nine Pacific Island countries and will build on existing partnerships that share a commitment to saving lives, protecting livelihoods, and building long term disaster resilience across the region," Brown said.

The Pacific is among the regions most exposed to cyclones, coastal flooding and other natural hazards, making warning delivery a central issue for governments and communications providers. The funding is intended to help turn cell broadcast from a technical option into an operational public warning channel in the nine island states.