According to a new study, researchers have hypothesized that technologically advanced alien civilizations would need to be more advanced than humans to detect radio signal leakages from Earth. The study simulated the leakage of radio signals from mobile towers and predicted what extraterrestrial life would observe if they were as close as six light years away.
The findings, published in the journal MNRAS, suggest that unless an alien civilization is significantly more advanced than humans, it would be difficult for them to detect the current levels of mobile tower radio leakage from Earth. The researchers also noted that the detectability of Earth’s mobile radio signature would increase as more powerful broadband systems are adopted worldwide.
The study also revealed that Africa contributes significantly to Earth’s mobile radio signature, highlighting the continent’s transition into the digital age. While the number of powerful TV and radio transmitters has decreased, the proliferation of mobile communication globally has led to a substantial integrated spectrum of billions of devices.
The researchers expressed the possibility that advanced civilizations may exist and could potentially observe the radio leakage emanating from Earth. They plan to further examine signal leakage from civilian and military radars, new digital broadcast systems, Wi-Fi networks, individual mobile handsets, and satellite systems like Elon Musk’s Starlink.
With the increasing number of satellites expected to be in orbit around Earth in the coming years, researchers suggest that the Earth’s radio signature will become even more detectable to any advanced civilization with the right technology.