The March 2025 earthquake that struck Myanmar’s Mandalay region and sent tremors across Bangkok and several Thai provinces marked a turning point for Thailand’s disaster alert system. A meeting convened by the Prime Minister the following day identified that the SMS-based alert system limited the scale and speed required for a fast-moving emergency affecting millions. Thailand’s shift to a cell broadcast system was accelerated, and in less than a year, the country had developed the capability to reach millions of compatible devices within seconds.
An important aspect of this shift was how it was financed. Thailand is among the leading nations globally to leverage its Universal Service Fund (USF) to fund the rollout of a national cell-broadcast-based early warning system. At the same time, a similar story was emerging in Argentina as the regulator, mobile network operators and government were working together to also enable a USF financed cell broadcast early warning system.
With a global ambition set by the United Nations Secretary General for everyone in the world to be protected by an early warning system, many countries face financing as a common constraint. Approximately 100 countries have operational Universal Service Funds that come from levies on telecommunications sector revenues, with an objective to extend coverage to areas that are not commercially viable. This approach complements the core role of Universal Service Funds in expanding connectivity, while supporting wider public interest outcomes such as disaster preparedness.
Cell broadcast is a highly effective mobile technology for public alerting, delivering geo-targeted emergency messages to all compatible devices simultaneously, without congesting the network or relying on a subscriber list. Yet deployment remains uneven with around 40 countries having operational cell broadcast systems.
Thailand and Argentina’s progressive use of these funds not only provides a template for closing a financing gap that is constraining cell broadcast deployment in some countries but also demonstrates an efficient and impactful and life-saving use of this national mechanism.
Thailand: a USO-financed nationwide system
When Thailand looked to accelerate development of cell-broadcast alerting using the Universal Service Fund, the regulatory foundation was already in place. Thailand’s Telecommunications Business Act, amended in 2019, explicitly permitted Universal Service Obligation (USO) funds to be used for “telecommunications missions for national security or the public interest.” The Government of Thailand formally approved cell broadcast as a qualifying activity in mid-2024, and subsequently allocated a total national budget of 1.125 billion Thai Baht (approximately £25.5 million) from its USO fund, distributed equally among the country’s mobile network operators to
cover the full capital costs for cell broadcast centre (CBC) deployments alongside three years of operating costs. With these foundational pieces already in place, the country was positioned to swiftly advance deployment when the March 2025 earthquake struck. The framework was also streamlined to create an “urgent project” pathway that raised the reimbursement ceiling and fast-tracked execution.
The system was fully operational by September 2025 and underwent successful nationwide testing by January 2026. Real alerts have already been deployed for floods and forest fires. In addition, operational roles are clearly delineated to improve coordination and efficiency: the Department of Disaster Preparedness and Management holds sole authority to originate alerts; the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission (NBTC) administers the USO fund; and the MNOs operate the Cell Broadcast Centres. Notably, all MNOs independently selected the same CBC vendor – a de facto coordination outcome that simplified integration.
Argentina: a co-design and a reformed fund
Argentina, although earlier in its journey compared to Thailand, is also making progress towards a USF funded cell-broadcast early warning system. The telecom regulator, ENACOM – in recent years carried out a comprehensive audit to restructure the USF around smart financing and clear accountability.
Strengthening cell broadcast disaster alerting was prioritised at the national level in response to increasing floods and fires. ENACOM, the Ministry of Security and mobile network operators – Personal, Claro and Movistar – jointly defined the technical and operational specifications, resulting in Resolution 960/2025 and formal agreements that clarify roles and cost-sharing agreements. Under this model, the USF will cover capital expenditure (CAPEX), while operators will assume ongoing operational costs (OPEX). A public tender is set to be launched in mid-2026, with first-phase implementation expected within the next year.
A pathway to universal coverage
Thailand and Argentina point to a consistent set of enabling conditions. Legal authority in place before implementation begins and partnerships between operators, governments and regulators to define clear expectations and responsibilities. At the GSMA we are sharing these examples with other countries who have expressed interest in replicating the approach.
Our global work as part of the Early Warnings for All Initiative (EW4All) convenes operators, governments, regulators and other humanitarian partners to build inclusive mobile-enabled early warning systems. We deliver cell broadcast readiness work in the Pacific Islands, Nepal, Tanzania, Madagascar and Kenya and often see financing as a bottleneck to system finalisation where government budgets cannot cover EWS. Between USF financing and targeted donor support for countries not yet ready to draw on such mechanisms, a clear pathway to universal cell broadcast coverage is within reach.
We welcome partnership across the EW4All ecosystem to help more countries innovate as Thailand and Argentina have. We will publish a broader documentation of EWS financing frameworks later in 2026.
This initiative is funded by the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) through its Global Research and Technology Development portfolio and is supported by the GSMA and its members.
