Comcast introduces ultra-low latency tech for Xfinity Internet subscribers

In a nutshell: Comcast is rolling out an ultra-low lag connectivity experience designed to improve responsiveness when video chatting, playing games, and using virtual reality. Initially, customers will see the benefits when using select apps and services from partners like Apple, Nvidia, Meta, and Valve although eventually, any interested partner will be able to take advantage of it.

Jason Livingood, vice president of technology policy, product and standards at Comcast, told VentureBeat that they believe they can cut lag down from hundreds of milliseconds to around 22-25 milliseconds. The result would be a smoother, more responsive end-to-end experience.

Initially, customers will be able to experience the benefits of the tech when using FaceTime video chat on Apple devices, with Meta’s mixed reality headsets, and when playing many games on Steam or Nvidia’s GeForce Now platform.

As The Verge highlights, the tech is based on an open standard known as L4S – short for low latency, low loss, scalable throughput. The full technical details are a bit complex but in short, L4S delivers a much more efficient way for packets to inform devices about congestion and start immediately taking steps to fix it.

A delay of 25 milliseconds here or there may not sound much, but it quickly becomes apparently when packets get hung up time after time as devices communicate back and forth with each other. It is why your 1 Gbps connection can feel slow at times. That advertised 1 Gbps relates to bandwidth (capacity), or how much data can be transferred at once – not necessarily how fast it can reach its destination.

Comcast initiated low-latency field trials in mid-2023 and according to the company, those tests met or exceeded expectations. Comcast said the initial rollout began and will expand to cities including Chicago, Atlanta, Colorado Springs, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Rockville (Maryland) over the coming months.

Once the tech is fully deployed, it will be available to all Xfinity Internet customers, we are told.

Image credit: Alex Shuper, Mika Baumeister