Huawei has announced a significant milestone for its earthquake early warning service, surpassing 100 million users. This achievement comes exactly one year after Huawei integrated official data from the China Earthquake Early Warning Network into its devices.
A Year of Critical Alerts
The collaboration between Huawei and the China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC), established in the latter half of last year, has enabled users with HarmonyOS 6.0 and above to receive official earthquake warnings. Huawei committed to migrating all historical models to this system by May 2026, ensuring a broad user base benefits from this life-saving technology.
Huawei emphasized that the earthquake early warning data is provided by the CENC. Adhering to official service protocols, Huawei leverages its cloud infrastructure and terminal devices to push these alerts within seconds. In the event of a strong earthquake, users receive a full-screen pop-up alert accompanied by an alarm sound and crucial safety guidance, providing precious time for emergency preparedness and evacuation.
Over the past year, Huawei’s devices have provided earthquake alert services to over 60 million person-times. This initiative is part of a larger national effort to enhance earthquake preparedness and response capabilities in China.
China’s Advancing Earthquake Warning Network
The CENC’s earthquake early warning technology has undergone more than a decade of research and development, including nearly 10 years of verification and pilot testing. The National Earthquake Intensity Rapid Reporting and Early Warning Project officially commenced construction in 2018. After five years of dedicated effort, China has successfully built the world’s largest earthquake early warning network. This network represents a significant leap from minute-level earthquake reporting to second-level early warning, with its overall functionality and performance reaching world-class standards. The network officially passed its acceptance test on July 25, 2024, and is now providing earthquake early warning and rapid intensity reporting services to the public.
Expanding Reach and Collaboration
The CENC is focused on bridging the “last mile” for early warning services, continually expanding its reach through various channels. On the public service side, this includes applications for public terminals, IPTV, and village loudspeakers. Coupled with rich service channels like WeChat mini-programs and built-in mobile features, official and authoritative earthquake warnings can now reach users regardless of their phone brand or model. The system boasts capabilities for nationwide coverage and second-level delivery, serving over 460 million public users and more than 100 industry users across China. It has cumulatively issued over 700 earthquake early warning messages, benefiting more than 90 million person-times.
Furthermore, the CENC has established systems for inspecting professional equipment connected to the network and for third-party dissemination of early warning information. This has stimulated innovation in the research and development of professional earthquake equipment. Major state-owned enterprises such as China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, and China Tower, along with industry leaders like Huawei and Tencent, are actively participating. This broad collaboration fosters market vitality, drives development, and cultivates a nascent market within the safety and emergency response industry focused on earthquake early warning.
