I am a satisfied user of AT&T Gigabit Fiber Internet in my home. Sometimes, when I am watching a movie, the video starts to stop and stutter. However, it is not because AT&T is not delivering the speed as required, but rather, the problem lies in latency–the delay in data transmission between devices and servers. A new Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) — Request for Comment (RFC) 9331, The Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) Protocol for Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable Throughput (L4S)–is now being used in order to address issues experienced with the internet speed. First and foremost, speeds from your internet connection depend on various factors such as the slowest link between your device and the internet and the actual rated throughput of the connection. The type of connection you have will also affect the speed. For instance, a fiber connection should give you close to its full-rated speed. On the other hand, cable connections are shared connections. Another factor affecting the speed is congestion in the network, leading to latency, which is the time it takes for a data packet to go from one place to another. The L4S protocol, which provides much more frequent control signals from the network, helps to alleviate all these issues. Also, it enables devices to adjust data transmission rates quickly in response to congestion, resulting in smoother data flow and reduced latency. By the summer of 2023, Comcast, together with Apple, NVIDIA, and Valve, had begun to test L4S. Xfinity customers with the latest Xfinity 10G Gateway XB7 and XB8 models,, or who own an Arris S33 or Netgear CM1000v2, will be the first users to get L4S, either this year or early next year. Furthermore, cablelabs, the non-profit company behind cable modem technology, is also working on deploying L4S as part of its 10Gbps initiative. While L4S signifies a significant advancement, physical constraints will always impose constraints. However, L4S has the potential to minimize additional delays, making it a big step towards a more efficient internet.
Revolutionary New L4S Standard Set to Turbocharge Internet Speed and Cut Latency
