[Glossary](https://telxpress.com/glossary/) / Network # Latency **Latency** is the time a packet takes to travel from one end of a connection to the other; on a phone or video call, high latency makes people talk over each other and pause awkwardly. - Network - Updated October 11, 2026 - Written by the Telxpress advisory team 01 In depth ## What it is, why it matters and *what to ask a vendor* Latency is measured one way or as a round trip. Some of it is distance and physics; the rest comes from congestion, queueing in routers and firewalls, satellite or cellular hops, Wi-Fi retries, and the processing inside phones and conferencing systems. The ITU-T recommendation G.114 is the long-standing reference for how much one-way delay a conversation tolerates before it becomes awkward. For a growing business latency decides whether remote and in-room participants can interrupt each other naturally, and whether an AI voice agent feels responsive or stilted. It also compounds: a slow internet uplink, a busy firewall and a cloud service hosted far away each add a little, and callers feel the total. Ask your connectivity provider for the latency to the services you use most, not just the speed. Ask your network partner where delay is added on your own equipment and whether QoS is in place. Ask your phone or AI vendor where their service is hosted and how quickly their agent replies after a caller stops speaking. 02 Related terms ## Terms that usually come up *alongside it* - Network ### [Jitter](https://telxpress.com/glossary/jitter/) Jitter is the variation in the time it takes voice or video packets to arrive; when it is high, a call sounds choppy or robotic because the receiving device cannot smooth the uneven stream. - Network ### [Packet loss](https://telxpress.com/glossary/packet-loss/) Packet loss is the share of packets that never reach their destination; on a voice or video call even a small amount causes dropped words, frozen video and a line that seems to cut out. - Network ### [QoS (quality of service)](https://telxpress.com/glossary/qos/) Quality of service (QoS) is the network configuration that identifies time-sensitive traffic such as voice and video and gives it priority over downloads and backups, so calls stay clear when the network is busy. - Connectivity ### [Dedicated internet access](https://telxpress.com/glossary/dedicated-internet-access/) Dedicated internet access (DIA) is a business internet service whose full bandwidth is reserved for one customer, with a service-level agreement for uptime, latency and repair time, unlike shared broadband. 03 At Telxpress ## Where this shows up *at Telxpress* The pages and articles where this term does real work: what we advise, build and support. - Page ### [Business Internet, Fiber, SD-WAN & Wi-Fi](https://telxpress.com/solutions/business-technology/connectivity/) Business internet, fiber, SD-WAN, Wi-Fi and carrier services for Orange County offices, selected and managed by one local partner with 24/7 support. - Article ### [Understanding Call Latency: What It Is and How to Prevent It](https://telxpress.com/insights/understanding-call-latency-what-it-is-and-how-to-prevent-it-for-seamless-communication/) What call latency is, why business phone calls lag or echo, and the practical steps that prevent it: bandwidth, prioritization, a reliable provider, current equipment and wired connections. - Page ### [Business Networking, Firewalls & Managed Wi-Fi](https://telxpress.com/solutions/business-technology/networking/) Switching, routing, Fortinet firewalls, Ubiquiti and Cisco Meraki Wi-Fi and managed network services for offices that depend on reliable connections. 04 Sources ## Public *references* The standard or law this definition rests on, as published by its owner. Fetched and checked on the review date above. - [ITU-T G.114, One-way transmission time](https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-G.114) itu.int - [RFC 3550, RTP: A Transport Protocol for Real-Time Applications](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc3550) rfc-editor.org Next step ## Want This Applied *to Your Business?* Book a free 30-minute AI readiness consultation. You'll leave with three AI opportunities specific to your business, whether you work with us or not. [Book My Free Consultation](https://telxpress.com/book/) [Take the Free AI Readiness Assessment](https://telxpress.com/ai-readiness/) [Or call 24/7: (949) 861-4500](tel:+19498614500) Last reviewed: October 11, 2026. Published by Telxpress, Irvine, CA.