2.32 Subspace Radio

In brief: A faster-than-light means of communications, necessary because the size of the Federation and of the vast operating range of starships. (Without subspace radio, a starship could warp to a distant planet and back in much less time than it would take to send a conventional radio message).

The speed of subspace radio: Subspace radio propagates at a maximum speed of about Warp 9.9999 (about 100 times faster than maximum warp, 9.6). The key limitation is that this speed falls off dramatically over time as the warp fields decay. This is not a problem within the Federation, as there is a complex network of relays and boosters which keep the signals strong (within the Federation, top speed transmits about 1000 light years — about two weeks). Outside of the Federation, this network does not exist and messages travel much more slowly. This is one of the key problems facing Voyager’s crew — even if the superfast subspace message remained intact over galactic distances, it would still take over a year to get back to Starfleet.