The public may soon receive natural disaster warnings on their mobile phones through location-based push notifications.
Deputy communications minister Teo Nie Ching said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is developing the system – which does not use telco-based SMS infrastructure – to provide faster, more precise alerts during natural disasters.
In a report in The Star, Teo said her ministry has proposed including the project under Budget 2026, adding that the notification system could be used for all types of natural disasters and emergency alerts.
“At present, we rely on telco companies to send SMS alerts. But there are limitations. Messages to large numbers of people must be queued in the telco system, which can cause delays,” she said at an event in Kulai.
“If the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) issues an alert for a particular area, MCMC can immediately send a notification to people in that location.
“This has already been adopted in several countries, including Japan. We believe it will be very useful for Malaysia,” the Kulai MP added.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department reported two earthquakes in Segamat and Kluang this morning.
The first earthquake, measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale, struck Segamat at 6.13am. A 2.8-magnitude earthquake was detected in Kluang at around 9am.
The tremors were felt in several parts of Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka and Pahang.
No casualties or property damage were reported.
