Approaching zero latency: What does a zero-lag Internet look like?

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Approaching zero latency: What does a zero-lag Internet look like?

Approaching zero latency: What does a zero-lag Internet look like?

Subheading text
As Internet speeds improve, upcoming technologies need a zero-latency connection to meet their full potential.
    • Author:
    • Author name
      Quantumrun Foresight
    • August 23, 2022

    Insight summary

    Latency in telecommunications, essential for rapid information sharing, is being reduced, targeting under 1 millisecond. Efforts are centered on refining Transmission Control Protocol and leveraging 5G to prioritize important data, bringing network nodes nearer to users. These advancements could revolutionize various sectors, improving artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), autonomous vehicles, and real-time monitoring of vital infrastructures.

    Approaching zero latency context

    In the telecommunications industry, latency is measured in milliseconds (ms). Reducing latency is important because the faster data can be processed, the faster users can receive and send information. Throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, 5G and Wi-Fi researchers have worked on reducing latency to 10 milliseconds. However, these researchers are already exploring how to lower latency even further, down to 1 millisecond or less. Achieving this goal will require re-engineering every step of the communications process (e.g., encoding, transmitting, and routing data) to eliminate any sources of delay. Only by combining different solutions to various sources of latency will it be possible to create these types of low latency networks. Thus, the race is on to find the best methods to build the next generation of low-latency networks that can support multiplayer games, augmented reality glasses, autonomous vehicles, factory robots, and more.

    The main challenge lies in using TCP (transmission control protocol) for sending voice and video over the Internet. Because TCP is based on sharing network infrastructure with other transmissions, it can be slow and unreliable compared to dedicated circuit switch networks that the older payphone systems used to have. However, the high costs of dedicated circuits have made the switch to packet-switched networks necessary. Efforts are now being made to improve TCP’s quality without sacrificing its low price point.

    There are two ways to reduce latency: Reducing it in the radio and reducing it in the core network. The standalone 5G radio interface introduces flexibility to treat different traffic types in different ways according to priority, to speed up signals for more critical data. With 5G, data won’t have to travel nearly as far when the network is pushed closer to the user through core network virtualization. Virtual network nodes are less expensive, and operators can deploy many more of them and, crucially, put them closer to business customers, resulting in significant latency improvements.

    Disruptive impact

    Faster communication between devices can enable smarter, more intuitive processes. For example, if there were a quality issue on a factory production line, IoT-enabled (Internet of Things) factories could automatically react to fix it. This action would involve sending a signal to the robots telling them to stop production, adjust their process, or wait for a human engineer to troubleshoot the matter. Improving response times mean issues can be resolved faster while limiting the probability of equipment damage and worker injury.

    In addition to smart factories, zero latency will enable new consumer technologies such as VR. With VR, users can experience realistic 3D simulations. However, users often experience delays between their movements and the updated image they see on their headsets. This delay potentially causes nausea and headaches. However, this issue can be eliminated with zero latency, enabling VR to become more widespread and popular among users. Similar benefits would also allow the widespread adoption of augmented reality glasses. 

    Zero latency will also enable the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles and drones. Car sensors’ ability to detect obstacles is occasionally unreliable, causing some accidents. With zero latency, vehicles could react immediately to any obstacles in their path. This enhancement would make autonomous vehicles safer, more viable, and ultimately, legal for use in most jurisdictions. 

    Implications of approaching zero latency

    Wider implications of approaching zero latency may include: 

    • Businesses investing in more AI and robotics projects with the expectation that improved network speeds would improve the efficacy of these investments over time.
    • Better haptic feedback for VR systems, resulting in real-time tactile feedback. Tennis coaches, for example, will have a clear image of what their players see and feel on the racket. An operator at a distance would feel the grip of a robotic hand on an object.
    • Telecommunications and tech firms collaborating to enable satellite Internet that could reach more areas with fewer infrastructure challenges.
    • Logistics companies gaining increasingly granular oversight of their supply chains to improve network speed and security. 
    • A range of new technologies in the healthcare and emergency response fields gaining approval for use in real-world applications where instant response times are necessary.
    • Real-time monitoring of critical infrastructures like power grids and transportation networks to prevent disasters.

    Questions to consider

    • How else can low latency change the way we operate as a society?
    • What are you looking forward to most in a zero-latency Internet world?

    Insight references

    The following popular and institutional links were referenced for this insight: