KULAI: Malaysians may soon receive warnings of natural disasters, including earthquake alerts, on their mobile phones via a special notification system that does not use telco-based SMS infastructure.
Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is developing the system to provide faster, more precise alerts during crises.
"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," said the Kulai MP after presenting aid to SPM and STPM high achievers at Dewan Terbuka Jalan Merbuk in Bandar Putra on Sunday (Aug 24).
She added that the system would allow the MCMC to send location-based push notifications directly to mobile devices.
"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," Teo said.
She added that the ministry had proposed including the project under Budget 2026 to ensure funding and implementation.
The notification system could be used for all types of natural disasters and emergency alerts.
Teo also said the ministry, through MCMC, is monitoring the situation in Segamat and Kluang following two tremors reported earlier on Sunday.
"We have not received any complaints about disruptions to telecommunication services but we are keeping a close watch on the networks in the affected areas," she said.
Earlier, the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) reported two earthquakes in Segamat and Kluang on Sunday morning.
The first earthquake, measuring 4.1 on the Richter scale, struck Segamat at 6.13am and another 2.8-magnitude earthquake 8, was detected in Kluang at around 9am.
"The tremor was felt in several parts of Johor as well as in Negri Sembilan, Melaka and southern Pahang," MetMalaysia said.
No casualties or property damage were reported.
