Analytical Investigation of Network Latency and Packet Loss Effects on Real-Time Video Conferencing Quality in Nigerian University Settings

Video conferencing has become central to Nigerian university instruction and administration, yet the network quality parameters within university campus environments that determine acceptable call quality have not been analytically investigated in the Nigerian context. This study analytically examines the effects of network latency and packet loss on real-time video conferencing quality in university settings across Nigerian geopolitical zones. An experimental measurement study was conducted in which controlled network impairment scenarios (latency levels of 50, 100, 200, and 400 ms; packet loss levels of 0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 10 percent) were applied to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet sessions in network testbeds established at six universities: one per geopolitical zone. Quality metrics included Mean Opinion Score from 180 expert evaluators, video frame rate drop rate, audio synchronisation error, and session reconnection frequency. The ITU-T G.107 E-Model and PESQ standards provided evaluation reference frameworks. Available video conferencing QoS literature from Nigerian universities identifies packet loss above 3 percent as the critical degradation threshold for academic videoconferencing usability. The QoS Framework for Multimedia Streaming and the Network Performance Measurement Model provide the analytical basis. Findings confirm a non-linear relationship between packet loss and MOS scores, with loss above 5 percent producing uniformly unusable quality regardless of platform. The study fills a measurement gap in Nigerian university network QoS analysis for video conferencing. Recommendations address minimum campus LAN QoS configuration standards and video conferencing-aware bandwidth allocation policies. Keywords: network latency, packet loss, video conferencing quality, Nigerian universities, QoS.