Round Trip Time (RTT) Delay in the Internet: Analysis and Trendes Articles uri icon

publication date

  • March 2024

start page

  • 280

end page

  • 285

issue

  • 2

volume

  • 38

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0890-8044

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1558-156X

abstract

  • Both capacity and latency are crucial performance metrics for the optimal operation of most networking services and applications, from online gaming to futuristic holographic-type communications. Networks worldwide have witnessed important breakthroughs in terms of capacity, including fibre introduction everywhere, new radio technologies and faster core networks. However, the impact of these capacity upgrades on end-to-end delay is not straightforward as traffic has also grown exponentially. This article overviews the current status of end-to-end latency on different regions and continents worldwide and how far these are from the theoretical minimum baseline, given by the speed of light propagation over an optical fibre. We observe that the trend in the last decade goes toward latency reduction (in spite of the ever-increasing annual traffic growth), but still there are important differences between countries.

subjects

  • Optics
  • Telecommunications

keywords

  • delays; monitoring; ieee 802.3 standard; epon; optical fiber networks; optical fiber cables; optical fibers; capacity planning; internet; network systems