Communications
Galactic Communications is handled through a network of transceivers, relay boosters, and routers called the Hypernet. The Hypernet carries digital information from one part of the galaxy to another through a packet-switching system similar to the old Internet on Earth.
Hyperpulse Communication Transmistters send a signal at phenomenal hyperspace velocities, but with the extreme distances in question, there is often a time lag before the message arrives at its destination. A message sent from one star system to another in the same sector might take several (1d6) minutes to arrive. A message sent to another sector could take several (1d6) hours, the neighboring quadrant several (1d6) days.
The Hypernet is capable of broadcasting several types of media in digital format: text, audio, video, and VR; each requiring increasing levels of sophistication to record and transmit. Hypernet messages are normally sent to one or a few individual recipients. Mass-media is possible through subscription to programs, channels, or services. Mass Media is broadcast live via an open channel which is also recorded so that any item broadcast on any Mass Media service can be keyed in and viewed at a later date. However, since it takes several hours or days to send the request, and several more hours or days to receive the result, this is rarely done outside the planetary or sector level.
Every Federation and most Old Earth Empire citizens are given a Hypernet Access Number upon request. This is an access number by which all transmissions, text, voice, video, or VR, may go to. Some Citizens use several Hypernet numbers, each serving a different purpose, but most stick to the simplicity of one number. If a Citizen is unable to speak live and directly, the message is stored so that it can be replayed at a later date.
