What is a 

Jitter

?

In real-time communication like voice or video, data is sent in packets at regular intervals. Jitter happens when those intervals become inconsistent some packets arrive too quickly, others too slowly, and they can show up out of order.

Causes of jitter include:

• Network congestion
• Wi-Fi interference
• Poor routing paths
• Unstable connections

Devices often use a jitter buffer to temporarily hold packets and play them back evenly, but if jitter is too high or sustained, it causes:

• Choppy audio
• Frozen video frames
• Misunderstood conversations

In contact centres, jitter can directly impact agent-customer interactions, leading to poor call quality and lower CSAT. While latency is about how long things take, jitter is about how consistent that timing is.

Typical jitter thresholds:

• Under 30ms: Generally unnoticeable
• 30–50ms: May cause minor audio artifacts
• Over 50ms: Noticeable and often problematic

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