WINNIPEG -- Manitoba Infrastructure is advising residents there will be an Alert Ready test on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the province, the test for Alert Ready, which is the National Public Alerting System, will take place around 1:55 p.m. on a number of different communication channels.

The test alert will be distributed on television, radio and wireless devices. The province noted that not all Manitobans will get the alert on their cellphones for a number of reasons, such as device compatibility, connection to an LTE network, cell tower coverage, and device software and settings.

The Manitoba government explained that testing is an important and necessary part of any public alerting system.

“It provides an opportunity to validate and improve the end-to-end performance and reliability of the system to ensure it operates as it is intended on TV, radio and wireless,” it said in a news release.

“Test alerts also educate the public on what an emergency alert will look and sound like in the event of a life-threating situation.”