CRTC sets 5 ms threshold for ‘jitter’ in basic service standard

The CRTC has finally set a threshold for a metric it said will improve the quality of service (QoS) for applications reliant on the rapid transmission of data. The regulator said Tuesday that it will require internet service providers (ISPs) to meet a threshold of five milliseconds (ms) on fixed broadband for “jitter,” a term for data received at irregular intervals, causing lag and slowdown in QoS-sensitive applications such as online gaming, web page loading, and cloud-based software. The results can include choppy graphics, freezing, and sound distortion. The decision caps a trio of network quality rules the commission was looking at establishing to define “high-quality service,” starting with a decision last summer to establish 50 ms for latency and less than 0.25 per cent packet loss, both related to improving the speed and reliability of data transmissions between systems. The regulator put off the jitter question, preferring to launch a consultation on the question at the time because of a lack of data on the matter. Answering to that consultation, some telecoms said the regulator shouldn’t set a threshold for jitter. Telus Corp. and Quebecor Inc. noted that jitter can be managed by jitter buffers; Telus said those measures used by application developers reduce the need to address them in the network. Because jitter is a variation of latency, Cogeco Inc. said in its own submission that a jitter threshold would provide no additional value. But the CRTC reasoned otherwise on Tuesday. “The evidence on the record of this proceeding indicates that if a broadband service connection has a high jitter rate, low latency alone or the ability of applications to use buffering will not enable the provision of a high quality of broadband service to end-users,” it said. It also said some telecoms’ proposals that were closer to 30 ms -- the lowest level of jitter required to support QoS-critical applications -- were not supported by empirical evidence, and in fact the reality supports something closer to 5 ms. The commission also used metrics in the United Kingdom, where it found download speeds of up-to 50 Mbps showed an average jitter of below 5 ms. Tuesday’s decision is part of the commission’s basic service requirements set out in late 2016, which include download speeds of 50 Mbps and 10 Mbps upload. When asked for comment, Rogers Communications Inc. referred back to its submission to the CRTC, which noted that no jitter and packet loss metrics should be set with its proposed latency of 150 ms. A BCE Inc. spokesperson said the company was still reviewing the decision. Xplornet Communications Inc. said it was still reviewing the decision, while Telus and Shaw Communications Inc. did not respond to a request for comment in time for publishing. The commission said the threshold will be measured during peak times, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. local time on weekdays, and from a household modem to an internet exchange point in a tier one Canadian city.

CRTC sets 5 ms threshold for ‘jitter’ in basic service standard

Brief | February 12, 2019

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CRTC sets 5 ms threshold for ‘jitter’ in basic service standard

Brief | February 12, 2019

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