New Verticals of Long-range Low-Latency Medium Wave (MW) Radio Communication
Conference
Wijayakoon, SB, Madanayake, A. (2026). New Verticals of Long-range Low-Latency Medium Wave (MW) Radio Communication
. 8-9. 10.23919/NRSM68586.2026.11550802
Wijayakoon, SB, Madanayake, A. (2026). New Verticals of Long-range Low-Latency Medium Wave (MW) Radio Communication
. 8-9. 10.23919/NRSM68586.2026.11550802
Medium Wave frequencies (300 kHz-3 MHz) have been central to communication due to their ability to cover vast geographical areas using a single broadcast station and simple receivers with magnetic loop (ML) antennas. The advantages of MW propagation, including groundwave and skywave modalities, make it an attractive method for very low-latency, low-rate applications. This paper shows it is possible to re-purpose MW channels by digitally modulating low-bandwidth analog signals that can carry simple commands. Such approaches enable applications, ranging from activating small Language models (SLMs) for complex operations to controlling unmanned aerial systems, including semantic communications, facilitating real-time financial transactions, and implementing expansive emergency warning systems. In a simple experiment, an audio clip was simultaneously transmitted over both MW (at 882 kHz with transmit power of 200kW over 2300 km) and in parallel via a high-speed internet link, making use of optical fiber links between Sri Lanka and India. A cross-correlation of the received signals revealed a latency difference of approximately 400 ms. The MW channel was measured to be much faster due to the low propagation delays compared to internet-based methods that suffer from packet latencies in the wide area network (WAN). These findings underscore that, with modern digital modulation and data compression techniques, MW communication can be revitalized as a viable, robust alternative for critical and remote communication scenarios.
