Experts believe mystery of MH370’s disappearance could be solved by 'ghost radio signals'

Ghost radio signals could be the key to solving the mystery of MH370's disappearance, as the Malaysian government has announced plans to resume the search for the missing plane.

The government in Malaysia shared news of its decision on Friday (December 20), more than a decade after Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Malaysia.

Ever since it vanished from the radar, the question of what happened to the plane has plagued family members and loved ones of the 12 crew and 227 passengers on board.

The plane disappeared in March 2014 (ARIF KARTONO/AFP via Getty Images)

In January 2017, a joint statement released by the transport ministers of Malaysia, China and Australia announced that the underwater search for the plane was to be called off - but now new hope has been found in the form of transmissions from amateur radio enthusiasts.

Anthony Loke, the Malaysian transport minister, explained that once the search resumes, it will target a new area of seabed covering around 5,800 square miles.

Underwater exploration firm Ocean Infinity is set to return to carry out the search by utilizing a new area of research known as Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) transmissions.

Pronounced 'whisper', the transmissions were designed as a way to send and receive low-power transmissions to test the capabilities and reach of antennas used by amateur radio enthusiasts.

Debris from the plane has washed up over the years (Mohd Samsul Mohd Said/Getty Images)

WSPR transmitters work by sending thousands of low-power radio pulses around the world every two minutes, but these signals are thought to become disturbed if an aircraft crosses them.

The transmitters were in use at the time MH370 disappeared, and Richard Godfrey, a retired aerospace engineer, has shed light on how examining their historical data might help determine where the Malaysia Airlines plane went after it disappeared from radar.

In a chat with The Telegraph, in which the signals were dubbed 'ghost radio signals', Godfrey explained how his own analysis of signals had led him to a search radius of less than 20 miles, located approximately 1,000 miles west of Perth, Australia.

Authorities spent years searching for the plane (AMSA via Getty Images)

The area is understood to be covered by Ocean Infinity’s new search, which will also encompass other strands of research.

However, the WSPR theory has received some doubt from the creator of the transmitters himself, Prof Joseph Taylor of Princeton University.

Professor Taylor believes that historical data from the network is likely to be of little use for tracking aircraft - though other experts are keen to give it a chance.

Prof Simon Maskell, a computer engineer who has been advising Ocean Infinity, said: "The important question is whether all of this analysis usefully reduces the search area. As soon as you can definitely say the plane couldn’t have headed north or it couldn’t have gone this far south you have narrowed things down and that is useful.”

Oliver Plunkett, Ocean Infinity’s chief executive, also described the decision to resume the search as 'great news'.

"We look forward to sharing further updates in the new year once we’ve finalized the details and the team gets ready to go," he said.