Editing Network performance (section)

==Examples of latency or throughput dominated systems==

Many systems can be characterized as dominated either by throughput limitations or by latency limitations in terms of end-user utility or experience. In some cases, hard limits such as the speed of light present unique problems to such systems and nothing can be done to correct this. Other systems allow for significant balancing and optimization for best user experience.

===Satellite===

A telecom satellite in geosynchronous orbit imposes a path length of at least 71000&nbsp;km between transmitter and receiver.<ref>Roddy, 2001, 67 - 90</ref> which means a minimum delay between message request and message receipt, or latency of 473 ms. This delay can be very noticeable and affects satellite phone service regardless of available throughput capacity.

===Deep space communication===

These long path length considerations are exacerbated when communicating with space probes and other long-range targets beyond Earth's atmosphere. The [[Deep Space Network]] implemented by NASA is one such system that must cope with these problems. Largely latency driven, the GAO has criticized the current architecture.<ref>U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO), 2006</ref> Several different methods have been proposed to handle the intermittent connectivity and long delays between packets, such as [[delay-tolerant networking]].<ref>Kevin Fall, 2003</ref>

===Even deeper space communication===

At interstellar distances, the difficulties in designing radio systems that can achieve any throughput at all are massive. In these cases, maintaining communication is a bigger issue than how long that communication takes.

===Offline data transport===

Transportation is concerned almost entirely with throughput, which is why physical deliveries of backup tape archives are still largely done by vehicle.