Cullen International’s new benchmark shows that PWS are operational or being implemented in most of the 12 surveyed Americas countries. While there is a clear convergence towards Cell Broadcast technology, implementation maturity, institutional organisation and the scope of alerts vary amongst these jurisdictions. 

Public warning systems (PWS) are a critical component of national emergency frameworks. They enable public authorities rapidly disseminate alerts and instructions rapidly across the population in the event of imminent or ongoing threats, such as natural disasters, public safety incidents or major emergencies.

A mobile PWS is defined as a system that:

• allows public authorities to send alerts directly to end users’ mobile devices;
• does not require prior user registration or app installation;
• is capable of reaching all users within a defined geographic area (geo-targeting); and
• ensures timely and reliable delivery, including in situations of network congestion.

The new Cullen International benchmark shows, for the 12 surveyed countries in the Americas region: 

• whether they have established a PWS;
• the status of its implementation;         
• the authority or entity responsible for disseminating the alert; and
• the technology involved.

Scope
Region: Americas
Countries covered: 12: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and the United States
Policy area: Telecoms, public safety / emergency communications
Published: August 2026

For more information and to access the Benchmark, please click on "Access the full content" – or on "Request Access" if you are not a Cullen International Americas Telecoms service subscriber.