One of the main elements binding together the wide expanse of the Empire is its network of faster than light relay satellites. While each transmitter is only capable of pushing out a signal about 10 parsecs, by laying out a series of satellites spaced 5-8 parsecs apart a message can be sent to any part of the Imperium with a minimum of delay.
Several thousand relays and switching stations make up the network with approximately one manned station for every 20 relays in a region. The manned routing stations monitor the bandwidth loads in their region and assisted by the station AI attempt to keep the load of communication moving smoothly.
The vast majority of communications (approx. 90%) take the form of written messages, these take up a minimum of bandwidth and are very compatible with compression/encryption algorithms. As such these are the least expensive form of communications.
Close afterward are one-way audio tracks. These are also compressable and mostly are recorded music and speeches that make up the news and entertainment content broadcast across the Empire. Along with these follow the video transmissions.
Everything up to this point is one-way communications. Two-way communications across interstellar distances start expensive and ramp up quickly with the number of relays the message needs to pass through. Each relay adds a minuscule amount of lag to the signal but eventually, it grows to the point where between the lag and the high cost it becomes too expensive to maintain.
An added consideration is the sheer volume of data that needs to be transmitted on a daily basis. The cost of setting up the network and maintaining it is quickly recouped from the fees charges for its use but it still takes the time to deploy new units and personnel to both regulate the flow and expand the net. Since the network is built and maintained as a government function military and government communications take priority. Bandwidth is also allocated to the local governments for their use.It is possible to purchase priority to bandwidth but the cost of this makes it available only to megacorps and a handful of the wealthiest individuals. Despite the assigned priority bandwidth sold, 50% of the available bandwidth is reserved to carry regular communications. This prevents the megacorps and local governments from throttling communications to their benefit.
The efficiency of the net depends largely on where in the empire one is at a given moment. The inner systems, being the location with the densest concentration of relays, have excellent service both in availability and cost. As one travels outward to the frontier the density of relays decreases and malfunctions can result in greater loads on the relays and in some cases the isolation of entire regions until repairs are made. At present, the region with the most limited coverage is the region known as the New Territories. At present, the systems connected in this region are often sending the signal down a singular path of relays laid during the war that ended with this region ceded to the Imperium.
Many ships carry smaller versions of the communication systems with ranges of only a few parsec. These are expensive and only a small number of civilian ships budget the cost of maintaining them. Military vessels of frigate and cruiser hull sizes carry these sets while the battlecruisers and the handful of ships larger than that. carry their own full relay equipment.
