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telecommunications

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NOTE

This is a stub article for the time being. A rough outline is listed below, but should not be referenced for IC purposes until approved. - Hagaalaz

Telecommunications

Planet-wide communication is handled much the way it is now, with dedicated networks of satellites, ground stations, trunked networks, and so on. United Telephone is an example of a wireless provider with networks on nearly every populated world.

Interplanetary communication is handled by various broadcast media which are still limited by the speed of light, making instantaneous communication nearly impossible. Text-only, audio and video recordings are the medium of choice for long-distance communication, and as a general rule, will take minutes to hours to transmit between worlds.

Interstellar communications are handled by a both automated and manned spacecraft. Sol, Iridia, and Thinora systems each have one pair of dedicated hyperspace-capable craft, nicknamed “express boats”, and each system also has an express boat tender, a mothership that services and refuels express boats, and serves as a local clearinghouse for messages to be relayed outsystem and insystem. While each express boat is being serviced, it dumps the contents of its secure memory to the tender for broadcast in-system, and receives outgoing messages from the tender for transport to other systems. Once the express boat is ready, it returns to hyperspace and heads to one of two other destination systems. Generally, the route is as follows:

  • 'Blue route': Iridia → Thinora → Sol → Iridia
  • 'Gold route': Iridia → Sol → Thinora → Iridia

As a general rule, interstellar communications, between encryption, transmission to tender, transfer to express boat, travel through hyperspace, transfer to tender, and transmission from tender to destination world for decryption can take hours to days.

Felios and Amazonia Systems are special cases, since neither planet has a large enough population to justify the expense of maintaining a dedicated pair of express boats. In order to send a message to either system, a special-delivery courier must be chartered, and the message relayed directly via that courier. Again, while the transfer of data from point to point to point is reduced due to only one ship being used, it still takes hours to days to transport the message due to the greater distances involved.

Starship Communications

Shipboard comm systems go here, too. Again, communications are limited by speed of light, so perhaps specify an OOC convention that ships use specific comsys.muf channels for each given system?

telecommunications.1311810283.txt.gz · Last modified: 2011/07/27 23:44 by hagalaz