WBA Releases L4S Guidelines for Scalable Wi-Fi
The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) has released a set of “L4S Implementation Guidelines” for Low Latency, Low Loss, and Scalable (L4S) throughput over Wi-Fi networks. The guidelines demonstrate how demand for low-latency Wi-Fi applications such as cloud gaming, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) can be achieved with an explanation of implementation approaches, Access Point (AP) tests and simulation studies for L4S AP performance in different scenarios.
Demand for L4S applications is growing, with both telecoms organisations and developers beginning to implement the technology. Apple, for example, provides guidance to developers on how to implement L4S in their apps, in 2024 Nokia and Vodafone conducted the first trial of L4S over an end-to-end Passive Optical Network (PON), reducing latency from 550 milliseconds to 12 milliseconds, demonstrating its suitability for real-time applications, and Comcast recently announced deployment of L4S technology, which will be rolling out across its entire footprint.
Business impact of L4S
Buffering is a primary source of delay in both wired and wireless networks, occurring when incoming packets exceed the departure rate, leading to high buffer occupancy. Latency in Wi-Fi networks is largely influenced by two factors: delays associated with queuing and buffering under load, and delays introduced by the 802.11 Media Access Control (MAC) protocol.
The adoption of L4S technology is set to revolutionize Wi-Fi performance, particularly for applications that demand low latency and high throughput. To address these issues, the L4S project aims to minimize buffering delays, reduce data loss, and enable scalable throughput.
This will enable several business benefits for vendors, enterprises and customers:
- Supporting Next-Gen Applications: The technology enables enterprises and service providers to meet the growing demand for high-bandwidth, low-latency services, and enhance operational efficiency for modern, high-performance applications.
- Enhanced Customer Satisfaction and Revenue Potential: Industries such as gaming, media streaming, and telemedicine will achieve superior network performance, boosting customer retention and unlocking new revenue opportunities.
- WBA’s Industry Leadership: The WBA is fostering collaboration across the industry, driving the adoption of L4S technology, and positioning Wi-Fi as a critical enabler for emerging applications.
The L4S Implementation Guidelines
The WBA has developed the L4S Implementation Guidelines to assist industry stakeholders in implementing L4S technology, the guidelines cover:
- An overview of L4S technology, what it is and how it works.
- Why support for L4S in Wi-Fi equipment is critical for end-to-end application performance.
- How Wi-Fi equipment suppliers can implement L4S support in their products.
- Simulation and test results that illustrate the benefit of L4S.
- Initial results on optimizing Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA) parameters.
In 2025, the WBA will continue advancing L4S in coordination with QoS Management initiatives, including additional trials, report generation, provider surveys, and evolving L4S testing scenarios.
