Quick Summary
Vodafone and Nokia have conducted a trial of their L4S technology – a system that reduces online latency to as low as 1.05 milliseconds.
In comparison, a typical broadband connection has lag of around 550ms.
A joint broadband technology venture between Vodafone and Nokia has resulted in almost zero latency when using the internet – the Holy Grail for gamers and video streamers alike.
The two companies recently trialled their L4S (Low Latency, Low Less, and Scalable) tech over a replica fibre-to-the-home link, with some amazing findings. The response time to access an online site was cut to just 12 milliseconds when using a Wi-Fi connection, 1.05ms over Ethernet.
The latency over a typical broadband connection is 550ms, and while that is a little over half-a-second in real terms, it can still be highly noticeable. Reducing that lag to just over 1ms means that data can be transmitted and received almost instantly. For example, the best gaming monitors usually claim a 1ms response time.
The L4S technology essentially tackles queuing delays whereby packets of data get held up in buffers across a network. This is a significant source of peak latency and by speeding up the process, the system can run more quickly.
If rolled out more widely, it could revolutionise online gaming, video streaming, and anything else that requires more responsive interaction. Cloud gaming would certainly benefit as it could run with similar latency to a home console.
"“As a leading broadband provider, Vodafone aims to give customers a faster, more responsive, and reliable service unhindered by lag even during peak hours.
"L4S is an exciting technology with huge potential to achieve this goal, as well as deliver a more interactive and tactile internet experience for our customers," said the network's head of its fixed access centre of excellence.
Vodafone and Nokia Bell Labs, which carried out the tests, claim that the technology can be used over any access connection, including home broadband and mobile.
As well as entertainment, it can benefit the use of remote services, such as surgery and drone control.
It's not yet known when the companies' L4S tech could be deployed across existing networks, but the successful November 2023 proof of concept trial is a great step in the right direction for a lag-free future.
-
Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless review: great mid-range earbudsSennheiser's Accentum range expands with new in-ears
-
Team GB has already won a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics for the best-looking merchandiseI’m low-key obsessed with this Paris 2024 Olympics bomber jacket – and you can buy it, too.
-
HMD Skyline brings back that Nokia Lumia cool – just not the nameHMD's new mid-range phone harks back to iconic Nokia phone design
-
The iconic Nokia Lumia 920 will reportedly be reborn as a new HMD phoneFabula design returning to the HMD line-up – and it looks great
-
Glastonbury just got better thanks to SpotifyThe companion app is better than ever
-
HMD is keeping its new phone design really well hidden, new Nokia remains a mystery tooWe've had a glance at HMD's funky cases, but the rest remains unclear for now
-
There will be new Nokia phones in 2024, but they'll be more expensive and harder to buyHMD's strategy for licensed brand is starting to emerge
-
We might already have seen our last ever Nokia phoneNokia's 42-year run in mobile phones might now be over
-
Nokia phones look under threat as first HMD branded handset leaksThe end for Nokia phones as we know them?
-
Nokia's iconic Charlie's Angels phone is back, and it's not just for all the honeys making moneyRemember when phones were fun and everything wasn't awful? Nokia wants to take you back there and I'm so ready for it
