What is Latency?

Latency (ping) is the delay before data starts moving — the round-trip time to a server, measured in milliseconds. Bandwidth is how wide the pipe is; latency is how long the pipe is.

It's what makes gaming and video calls feel responsive or laggy: under 30 ms is excellent, over 100 ms is noticeable. Wired connections and closer servers cut latency; buying more bandwidth doesn't.