Overview
Voice Insights quality metrics give you visibility into the network conditions affecting your calls. By monitoring jitter, latency, packet loss, and Mean Opinion Score (MOS) at the individual call level, you can quickly identify and troubleshoot call quality issues before they impact your users.
Before you begin
Voice quality metrics are available to customers on Bandwidth's Silver or Gold Customer Success Plans.
To upgrade your plan and unlock these metrics, contact your Bandwidth account representative.
Where to find quality metrics
Quality metrics are displayed as columns within Call Logs in Voice Insights.
Log in to the Bandwidth App.
In the side navigation bar, select Insights > Voice > Call Logs.
The values shown represent network conditions measured both into and out of the Bandwidth network — giving you a view of both the customer leg and the Bandwidth leg of the call.
Note: Call details are typically available immediately after a call completes. During high-traffic periods, there may be a delay of up to 15 minutes.
To view audio quality and see further details about the call, select the call ID to go to the Call Details page.
Understanding quality metrics
Jitter
Jitter is the variation in the delivery time of data packets across a network, measured in milliseconds (ms). In VoIP calls, high jitter causes choppy, fragmented, or garbled audio. Jitter occurs when IP packets are not delivered smoothly or consistently across the network.
Target: Keep jitter below 30 ms for optimal call quality.
Latency
Latency is the time it takes for data to travel from its source to its destination, measured in milliseconds. High latency causes noticeable delays in conversation — callers may talk over each other or assume the other party has disconnected.
Target: Keep latency below 150 ms for clear, natural conversation.
Packet Loss
Packet loss is the rate at which data packets fail to reach their destination. In voice calls, this appears as missing words, audio dropouts, or gaps in conversation. Even small amounts of packet loss can noticeably degrade call quality.
Common causes include network congestion, misconfigured software, or failing hardware.
Target: Keep packet loss below 1% for optimal performance.
Mean Opinion Score (MOS)
MOS is a standardized numerical measure of overall voice call quality, rated on a scale from 1 to 5. MOS captures the user's perception of call clarity and naturalness, making it a useful summary metric for overall call health. Low MOS scores typically indicate underlying issues with jitter, latency, packet loss, or insufficient bandwidth.
Quality metric ranges at a glance
Metric | Good | Average | Bad |
MOS | >4.0 | 3.0–3.9 | <2.9 |
Jitter | <30 ms | 30–50 ms | >50 ms |
Latency | <150 ms | 150–300 ms | >300 ms |
Packet Loss | <0.5% | 0.5–1% | >1% |
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