Romanian telecom operator Telekom has won the tender for implementing the RO-ALERT system, which will send warning messages to citizens in areas with high risk, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) announced on Friday.

The contract was attributed through a negotiation procedure, without prior publication of a tender notice. IGSU invited to negotiations 14 potential contractors.

The Government has allocated RON 30,400 (EUR 6,500) from the budget reserve fund to implement the RO-ALERT system. At the end of September, several large mobile operators took part in a debate on introducing the emergency alert system for the population. They concluded that this could take up to a year and depends on the technical solution chosen by the authorities. Mobile operators don’t yet have the technical equipment for such a system or a common platform with the Special Telecommunications Service (STS).

When operational, the RO-ALERT system will inform people in high-risk areas in order to adopt appropriate behavior in the case of an emergency.

editor@romania-insider.com