Problems with some cellphone carriers blamed for spotty Alert Ready test in Manitoba

Manitoba's Emergency Measures Organization says its test of the Alert Ready system was a success, despite the fact some people didn't receive the message.

At 1:55 p.m. CT on Wednesday, a test of the emergency alert system went out to mobile phone users in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

While the alert message was successfully received by many, some people reported they did not get it.

At this point, officials can't say why some mobile devices did not receive the test message. They believe it may have to do with issues with certain telecommunication networks.

"There was a problem with Telus, insofar as they had done their programming, so anybody that had Telus did not get the notification," said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler. "But I would point out, that's why you have a test."

There were also problems with some other wireless carriers, Schuler said.

Now, Schuler said the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission will look into what the issues were.

The emergency alert system is supposed to send a warning message to mobile devices when there's an emergency of some kind — severe weather, an attack or an Amber Alert for a missing child.

Other jurisdictions have experienced issues when testing the new system. On Monday, a test in Quebec didn't work at all.

In Ontario, many people got the message late or not at all.