Riga, July 1 (LETA) - In addition to the early warning system, cell broadcast technology has been introduced in Latvia as of today, the Interior Ministry informed LETA.

More information on the introduction of cell broadcasting technology in Latvia will be provided on Wednesday at 10.10 at a press conference.

As reported, last year the Information Centre of the Interior Ministry signed a contract with the winner of the tender, Meditec, for supplementing the early warning system with cell broadcast technology.

The new system is based on the existing infrastructure of mobile operators, which will host the notification equipment that will receive a signal from the central node when a notification needs to be transmitted.

Notifications will be received on mobile phones operating on all generations of the mobile network. Mobile phones will receive notifications regardless of subscription if they are within the coverage area of mobile networks, including those of tourists, guest workers, students and other groups visiting Latvia. The public will be informed about compatible mobile phones when the technology is launched.

The project is upgrading the information technology infrastructure by adding additional servers and technical equipment. The cell broadcast system, thanks to its centralized architecture, will provide greater protection against cyber-attacks by reducing risks, limiting access and preventing the transmission of unwanted messages.

On mobile phones, early warning notifications will be displayed in a special format with a different sound signal, but they cannot be modified or forwarded to other phones. These notifications will be different from the usual text messages, emails and social network messages as they are built in as a separate functionality. Once the technology is introduced in Latvia, examples of notifications and additional information on how to recognize them will be published and a special campaign.

The total budget of the project is EUR 3.2 million, of which EUR 2.7 million is provided by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the remaining EUR 500,000 by the state.

According to Firmas.lv, Meditec had a turnover of EUR 4.725 million in 2023, while its profit was EUR 508,019. Meditec was registered in 1995 and has a share capital of EUR 2,828. Meditec belongs to Martins Sils (66.34 percent) and Maris Zvirgzdins (33.66 percent).

In April 2021, the Cabinet of Ministers endorsed the Interior Ministry's proposal to improve the early warning system. The system was initially planned to be operational in the second half of 2024, but implementation was delayed.