Canadians across the country, except in Quebec, should expect a wireless public alert test message distributed at 1:55pm local time on November 28th, 2018.
Quebecers can expect their emergency alert test at 2:55pm ET on the same day.
According to a November 19th, 2018 Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) media release, the alert messages will clearly be identified as test messages.
The news comes in the wake of an October 2018 CRTC directive ordering Canadian carriers to “distribute additional visible wireless test alerts.”
Canadian carriers previously had until April 6th, 2018 to prepare their networks for the distribution of LTE wireless public alerts (WPA).
WPA tests were conducted on May 7th, 2018 and May 9th, 2018, though subscribers across the country and across service providers reported issues with the alerting system.
It’s important to note that only compatible LTE-enabled devices will receive WPA messages.
The Commission hopes that 50 percent of all devices sold as of April 2018 will be able to receive WPA tests, with a 100 percent goal set for April 2019.
Source: CRTC
