Radionics, a primitive method of wireless communication, relied on modulating low-frequency electromagnetic radiation within the radio band. A key limitation of this early technology was its reliance on the speed of light for signal transmission, which caused significant latency over interplanetary distances, setting it apart from future systems. Consequently, radionics was superseded by more sophisticated subspace and holocomm technologies, leading to its general obsolescence.
Despite its limitations, the fact that radionics transmissions were almost never monitored by law enforcement made it appealing to certain groups, such as smugglers. Lando Calrissian, for example, equipped his yacht, the Lady Luck, with a radionics transmitter and receiver, in addition to a portable version. In 18 ABY, he gifted Tendra Risant the portable unit just before his departure from her home planet, Sacorria, planning to use it for clandestine communication upon his return. This device proved crucial during the Corellian Crisis, when Tendra observed a large military accumulation on Sacorria. She then escaped aboard the Gentleman Caller to the Corellian system to alert Lando. Modern communication systems were crippled by system-wide jamming, but the radionics system remained functional, allowing Tendra to relay critical intelligence regarding the Sacorrian Triad's fleet.