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How is cell broadcast different from SMS?
SMS is point-to-point: each message is addressed to one number, stored and forwarded by an SMSC and confirmed with a delivery receipt. Cell broadcast is point-to-area: a Cell Broadcast Centre (CBC) hands the message to the radio network, which transmits it on a broadcast channel that every handset in range listens to. There is no recipient list and no delivery receipt, and the load on the network does not grow with the number of people reached.
Who uses cell broadcast?
Public warning systems. 3GPP standardises them as the Public Warning System (PWS), with regional profiles such as Wireless Emergency Alerts in the United States, EU-Alert in Europe and ETWS in Japan. The European Electronic Communications Code requires EU member states to run a public warning system that reaches mobile users, and many have chosen cell broadcast to do it. Access is restricted to the operator and to authorised public agencies.
What does a cell broadcast message look like?
Depending on the alert level and the user's settings, the handset shows the warning full screen with a distinctive tone, even in silent mode. One message carries up to 15 pages of 82 octets — about 93 GSM-7 characters per page — and the network can repeat it at set intervals while the alert is active. The technical specification is 3GPP TS 23.041.
Can a business send cell broadcast messages?
Generally not. In most markets cell broadcast is reserved for public-safety authorities and the operator's own network notices. Businesses that need to reach many people at once use A2P SMS, RCS or WhatsApp, which are addressed to opted-in numbers and return delivery receipts. BroadNet's messaging services are built on those channels; cell broadcast is run by the operator.