Effective range and optimal frequency of through-the-earth magnetic induction communication
Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Magnetic induction communication (MIC) is a promising technology for through-the-earth (TTE) communication. Previous studies on the MIC range have often overlooked the impact of eddy losses caused by underground materials. For TTE MIC, significant eddy losses complicate the analysis of the effective MIC range, which is vital for optimizing performance but has never been addressed in the literature. Accounting for the conductivity and permittivity of the underground medium, this paper derives the effective MIC range in TTE MIC, along with a closed-from expression that predicts the optimal carrier frequency to maximize this range. Finite element simulations validate the analysis, demonstrating that the optimal carrier frequency can significantly enhance the MIC range. It is also revealed that optimizing the antenna radius is effective in extending the MIC range for TTE and vehicle MIC applications.
Keywords
communication range, frequency optimization, magnetic induction communication, through-the-earth
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
E-ISSN
19399359
ISSN
00189545
Publication Title
IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology
Publisher
IEEE
School
School of Engineering
Copyright
subscription content
Recommended Citation
Ma, H., Liu, E., Ni, W., Zhu, J., Fang, Z., Wang, R., Gao, Y., & Qu, X. (2026). Effective range and optimal frequency of through-the-earth magnetic induction communication. IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1109/TVT.2026.3721188