Ultra-Low Latency (ULL) Networks: A Comprehensive Survey Covering the IEEE TSN Standard and Related ULL Research
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Many network applications, e.g., industrial control, demand Ultra-Low Latency (ULL). However, traditional packet networks can only reduce the end-to-end latencies to the order of tens of milliseconds. Audio Video Bridging (AVB) standards and IEEE 802.1 Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) standards and related research studies have sought to provide network support for ULL applications. This article provides a comprehensive survey of the existing state-of-the-art techniques for enabling ULL communication across multiple network segments, such as access, backhaul, and core network segments. The purpose of the survey is to provide: i) introduction and tutorial content to understand the fundamentals of ULL communication, ii) identification and classification of the existing state-of-the-art ULL mechanisms, iii) identify the potential pitfalls and challenges, and iv) identify and present future research directions for ULL communication. In particular, we will identify the pitfalls and limitations of existing TSN standards. This survey can then serve as a basis for the development of TSN enhancements to address scenarios and problems that TSN currently cannot address in an adequate manner.
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