If there are indeed extraterrestrial civilizations, locating our planet may not be as challenging as one might think.

Experts suggest that these civilizations could potentially map our planet by intercepting signals from mobile phone masts, which have experienced significant growth over the past three decades.

In terms of radio leakage, these masts currently rank as the second most potent source originating from Earth, surpassed only by military radar transmissions, the Daily Mail reported.

They have even surpassed the broadcasting giants of the 20th century, such as commercial radio and television stations, in terms of signal strength.

To provide some perspective, researchers from the University of Mauritius and the University of Manchester have revealed that each mobile tower emits a radio signal with a power ranging from 100 to 200 watts.

Collectively, this amounts to a peak total leakage of four gigawatts originating from our planet.

If extraterrestrial beings possessed a radio telescope equivalent to the £1.7 billion Square Kilometre Array (SKA) currently under construction in South Africa and Australia, with completion expected by 2028, they would likely have the capability to detect our 4G activity.

Furthermore, considering the advancements to 5G technology and taking into account the radio leakage from individual mobile phones, the task of detecting our presence would be even easier, as highlighted by the new study.

Written by staff