Average internet delay

Question

Just wondering, what is the average packet transmission delay between two hosts over the internet (ignoring packet loss and retransmission).

Now, hang a second before you write that it's too genenral and depends on too many factors (Location of the two hosts, network workload at a specific time, just to name a few), i'm aware of that. Yet, that's why i'm asking what might be the AVERAGE delay. There must be some record for that.

Maybe it's appropriate to ask for seperate countrywide/continentwide/intercontinental average values, too. Whatever makes sense.

Answer 1

However you ask it, this question is WAAAYYYY too general. Ping times can give you a reasonable approximation, though. My avg to a google host: round-trip (ms) min/avg/max/med = 20/23/37/21

Yahoo: round-trip (ms) min/avg/max/med = 19/23/38/23

Baidu (China): round-trip (ms) min/avg/max/med = 269/272/275/272

Pair (Pittsburgh): round-trip (ms) min/avg/max/med = 63/66/73/67

Google and Y! are using content-distribution networks, so I am most likely hitting servers very nearby. Baidu is across the world from me. Pair is across the country. These are all from a relatively fast connection.

I'd expect a dialup user to see figures that are approximately 100-200 ms higher (depending on network activity at the time). Similarly, my figures would increase significantly if my network were heavily loaded (its not at the moment).

Does that help at all?

Answer 2

You may find the discussion of this stuff at this page interesting. The author argues that traffic is traveling at about half the speed of light (the speed of light being the best you can possibly do for traffic speed, assuming various scientists are right.