T-Mobile is rolling out support for the L4S standard in more markets. L4S, short for Low Latency, Low Loss, Scalable Throughput, is already deployed on T-Mobile’s 5G network in some cities, but as reported by The Verge, the company is working on expanding L4S coverage.
The L4S protocol is meant to lower latency by routing data through networks in ways that help avoid congestion, resulting in less buffering. In a blog post, T-Mobile CTO John Saw says that the wireless provider is “the first to unlock L4S across a wireless environment at scale.”
Saw tells The Verge that because L4S is entirely a network-side improvement, compatibility isn’t something users will have to worry about: you don’t need any particular device or data plan to take advantage of T-Mobile’s L4S efforts. Applications do need to support L4S, and Saw says some already do.
Better video calls and smoother cloud gaming
Nvidia’s GeForce Now cloud gaming platform already supports L4S, which Saw says helps deliver “buttery-smooth controls, less jitter and gameplay that feels closer to a local gaming console — even under network congestion.”
Saw mentions other use cases, including a trial with German company Vay, in which T-Mobile’s L4S-enabled 5G network helped users remotely operate cars on real city streets. Saw says testers “said it felt like they were physically in the car, even in high-traffic, congested scenarios.”
Less frightening examples of L4S’s potential include providing XR glasses access to low-latency data, and helping FaceTime video calls feel more smooth and natural.
If you’re a T-Mobile subscriber, you’re not likely to notice a pronounced difference from L4S right away. Ideally, though, more applications that rely on streaming data — like Spotify, Netflix, and YouTube — will support the standard soon.
