PUBLISHED ONMay 06, 2026 3:22 AMBYSean LerThe Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will conduct an islandwide public testing of the SG Alert system for Singtel network users on May 10 (Sunday).
During the testing, members of the public connected to the Singtel network will receive an alert on their mobile phones, even without being connected to the internet. This includes foreign visitors on data-only eSIM plans.
Members of the public are advised not to be alarmed.
The SG Alert will appear as a pop-up notification with the header 'SG Alert', and will be accompanied by a unique alert tone and distinct vibration pattern lasting up to 10 seconds, said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on May 6.
The alert will also appear if a mobile phone is on "do not disturb" or silent modes while those with older phone models may see the alert appear with a "Presidential alert" header instead of "SG Alert" due to compatibility issues.
Those subscribed to Gomo, Vivifi, Zero1, and Zym will also receive the alert.
Developed in partnership with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency, the Infocomm Media Development Authority and Singtel, the SG Alert system is used during emergencies such as major fires, chemical or terror incidents.
It enables the authorities to quickly alert the public with a brief description of the incident, the affected location(s), protective actions to take, and official sources and links for more information.
SG Alert is designed to bypass silent mode settings on phones and comes with a distinctive alert tone and vibration pattern that last up to ten seconds.
The SG Alert system will be rolled out to StarHub's network users by end-2026, followed by M1's network and SIMBA's network by mid-2027.
[[nid:733903]]
