C-DOT Wins SKOCH Award 2025 for Indigenous Cell Broadcast System Powering India’s Disaster Early-Warning Infrastructure

The award was presented at the 104th SKOCH Summit, themed “Resourcing Viksit Bharat”, recognising C-DOT’s contribution to strengthening national disaster preparedness through advanced, citizen-centric telecom innovation.

The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), the Government of India’s premier telecom R&D organisation, has been conferred the SKOCH Award-2025 for its indigenous Cell Broadcast Solution (CBS)—a mission-critical platform that delivers real-time disaster and emergency alerts directly to mobile phones across affected regions.

The award was presented at the 104th SKOCH Summit, themed “Resourcing Viksit Bharat”, recognising C-DOT’s contribution to strengthening national disaster preparedness through advanced, citizen-centric telecom innovation.

A Unified, National-Scale Early Warning Platform

C-DOT’s Cell Broadcast Solution represents a first-of-its-kind, fully integrated national platform that brings together disaster-alert originators, approval authorities, and telecom operators on a single automated system. The platform connects:

• India Meteorological Department (IMD) – weather events

• Central Water Commission (CWC) – flood alerts

• INCOIS – tsunamis and oceanic hazards

• Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment (DGRE) – landslides

• Forest Survey of India (FSI) – forest fires

• All mobile network operators – alert dissemination

• State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) – alert approval and coordination

Through this unified workflow, CBS enables near real-time, geo-targeted delivery of life-saving alerts to millions of mobile users simultaneously, without network congestion or dependence on internet connectivity.

Designed for Scale, Speed and Inclusion

Built as a fully automated, cost-effective and indigenous solution, C-DOT’s CBS supports:

• Multi-hazard alerting across weather, floods, tsunamis, landslides and forest fires

• Geo-fenced targeting for precise location-based alerts

• Multi-lingual messaging in 21 Indian languages, ensuring accessibility for diverse populations

• Standards compliance with ITU’s Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

The platform significantly enhances India’s disaster risk reduction capabilities while aligning with the United Nations’ “Early Warnings for All (EW4All)” initiative, the ITU Call to Action, and multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Leadership Perspective

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Rajkumar Upadhyay, CEO, C-DOT, said:

“Winning the SKOCH Award 2025 is a meaningful recognition of C-DOT’s commitment to placing technology at the service of citizens—especially those in remote and vulnerable regions. Our Cell Broadcast Solution strengthens India’s public safety framework by enabling timely, geo-targeted dissemination of critical information during disasters.

This achievement reinforces our resolve to build resilient digital infrastructure that protects lives, supports disaster-risk reduction, and advances India’s vision of inclusive, secure and reliable information delivery. C-DOT is proud to be among the select few global technology providers in this domain, advancing the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat through indigenous innovation.”

A Call to Action for Early Adopters

With climate-driven disasters increasing in frequency and intensity, C-DOT is inviting early adoption and collaboration from:

• State and regional disaster management authorities

• Telecom operators and infrastructure providers

• Smart city and urban resilience missions

• International governments and agencies seeking proven early-warning systems

The Cell Broadcast Solution is deployment-ready, scalable, and adaptable for both national and cross-border disaster-alert ecosystems, offering a powerful template for countries aiming to modernise public warning systems.

About C-DOT

C-DOT is a premier telecom research and development centre under the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India. It has played a pivotal role in building indigenous telecom technologies that power national initiatives such as Digital India and Make in India. C-DOT is currently driving innovation in 5G, 6G, Quantum Communications, Artificial Intelligence, and Cybersecurity, reinforcing India’s position as a global technology leader.