Latency is the time it takes for data to traverse the network, usually noted in milliseconds. It should not be confused with “bandwidth” or “throughput,” which defines how much data can be sent over the network in a given period of time, usually noted in megabits per second (Mbps).

For many years, the cable broadband industry has been increasing network bandwidth to stay ahead of demand. However, for many applications, latency is now becoming more important, especially applications that are sensitive to delay, such as online gaming, web browsing, Skype and FaceTime. LLD is one of CableLabs’ latest efforts to reduce broadband network latency in order to improve the user experience for these latency-sensitive applications—though this is hardly the first latency improvement that CableLabs has developed. For example, current DOCSIS 3.1 networks already include features such as Active Queue Management (AQM) that make significant improvements in latency. LLD technology takes these efforts to the next level.