1. The time IT takes for a packet to cross a network connection, from sender to receiver. 2. The period of time that a frame is held by a network device before IT is forwarded. Two of the most important parameters of a communications channel are ITs latency, which should be low, and ITs bandwidth, which should be high. Latency is particularly important for a synchronousprotocol where each packet must be acknowledged before the next can be transmITted. (2000-02-27)