Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput in 5G Networks

Low Latency Low Loss Scalable Throughput (L4S) is a technology intended to reduce queue delay problems, ensuring low latency to Internet Protocol flows with a high throughput performance. To reach this goal, it relies on Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN), a mechanism that marks packets to signal congestion in the network avoiding packets to be dropped. The congestion signals are managed at the sender and receiver sides thanks to scalable congestion control algorithms. In this paper, the challenges to implement L4S in a 5G network are analyzed. Using a proprietary state-of-the-art network simulator, the L4S marking strategy has been implemented at the Packed Data Convergence Protocol layer. To evaluate the benefits of the implementation, L4S has been adopted to support Augmented Reality (AR) video gaming traffic while using the IETF experimental standard Self-Clocked Rate Adaptation for Multimedia (SCReAM) for the congestion control. The results show that the video gaming traffic experiences lower delay when supported by L4S. Moreover, in all the cases analyzed, L4S provides an average application layer throughput above the minimum requirements of a high-rate latency-critical application, even at high system loads. Furthermore, the packet loss rate has been significantly reduced thanks to L4S. If it is used in a combination with a Delay Based Scheduler (DBS), a packet loss rate very close to zero has been reached.