Network Performance

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cloudflare2 min readCurated summary

Agents Week: network performance update

Cloudflare reports that it became the fastest network in 60% of the world’s 1,000 largest networks by December 2025, up from 40% during Birthday Week 2025. The improvement came from both expanding its global points of presence and optimizing connection-handling software. Cloudflare says it is continuing to target the remaining networks where competitors still lead. ### Measuring Network Performance - Cloudflare analyzes the 1,000 largest networks by estimated population, using APNIC data. - It measures TCP connection time—the time required to complete a TCP handshake—as a practical indicator of users’ perceived Internet speed. - Rankings use the **trimean**, a weighted average of the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile, reducing the influence of outliers. - Data comes from Real User Measurements: browsers loading Cloudflare error pages silently download small files from Cloudflare, Amazon CloudFront, Google, Fastly, and Akamai under real network conditions. ### Expanding Points of Presence - New locations in Constantine, Algeria; Malang, Indonesia; and Wroclaw, Poland brought Cloudflare physically closer to users. - In Wroclaw, free-user average round-trip time fell from 19 ms to 12 ms, a 40% improvement. - In Malang, Enterprise traffic improved from 39 ms to 37 ms, a 5% reduction. - However, new locations alone did not account for the increase from 40% to 60% of networks. ### Improving Connection Handling - Cloudflare optimized the software responsible for connection establishment, SSL/TLS termination, traffic management, and proxying. - HTTP/3 adoption and changes to congestion-window management reduced processing time. - Improvements in CPU and memory efficiency allow the global network to handle connections more effectively. - Cloudflare compares this to improving both the efficiency of highway toll booths and the routing of traffic between them. ### Results by December 2025 - Cloudflare was the fastest provider in 60% of the largest networks. - Between September and December 2025, it became fastest in: - 40 additional countries - 261 additional networks - 54 additional U.S. autonomous systems (ASNs) - During December, Cloudflare was on average 6 ms faster than the next-fastest provider. Cloudflare’s conclusion is that continued gains in network reach and software efficiency can produce measurable improvements for users. It plans to focus on the remaining networks where it is narrowly behind competitors, with the long-term goal of being fastest worldwide.

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We tested the video call quality (opens in new tab)

To optimize the LINE messenger’s communication performance, LY Corporation conducted an on-site call quality assessment in Thailand to analyze local network conditions and compare performance against rising competitors. The study concluded that while LINE offers superior visual clarity and higher bitrates than its rivals, this high-performance strategy requires a careful technical balance to prevent video freezing in unstable network environments. ### High Video Call Adoption in Thailand * Thailand exhibits the highest video call usage among LINE’s major markets, with video calls accounting for 30.43% of all 1:1 sessions—more than double the rate of Japan or Taiwan. * The surge in usage by competitors, specifically "Messenger A," has necessitated frequent benchmarking to maintain LINE’s market leadership and technical edge. * Thailand serves as the primary testing ground for any updates to video modules due to the local user base's preference for high-quality real-time visual communication. ### On-Site Quality Testing Methodology * The assessment was performed over five days by five engineers across high-traffic locations in Bangkok, such as Siam Paragon and Samron Market, using True and AIS 4G/5G networks. * Engineers focused on Quality of Service (QoS) metrics—including packet loss and jitter—to estimate the actual Quality of Experience (QoE) for users. * Baseline performance for LINE in Thailand was recorded at VGA resolution, with frame rates exceeding 20 FPS and an average latency of approximately 150ms. ### Bitrate Strategy and Performance Trade-offs * LINE utilizes a high-bitrate strategy, capping at 1Mbps on 5G and 600kbps on 4G, to deliver sharper, more defined images than Competitor A. * A "start-at-max" approach is used where LINE attempts to find and utilize the highest possible bitrate from the beginning of the call to ensure immediate high quality. * In contrast, competitors adopt a conservative bitrate strategy, starting low and increasing slowly to prioritize connection stability over visual fidelity. * The trade-off for LINE’s higher quality is an increased risk of "freezing"—defined as a single frame persisting for more than 200ms—when the network becomes congested or unstable. ### Technical Implications for Future Development * The relationship between bitrate and network stability remains a zero-sum trade-off; higher bitrates provide better clarity but increase the likelihood of packet delay and loss at the router level. * LINE’s engineering focus is directed toward optimizing the "initial bitrate" detection logic to ensure high quality without triggering network-induced lag in crowded urban environments. * Continuous tuning of the balance between peak visual performance and consistent playback remains the core challenge for maintaining service quality in the Thai market.