Video Conferencing Bandwidth and QoS Requirements in Saudi Arabia
Video conferencing quality is the most-complained-about IT issue in Saudi offices after Wi-Fi. The cause is almost always bandwidth or QoS — not the VC platform itself. This piece walks through the network requirements for reliable VC and the configurations that make calls work consistently across STC, Mobily, and Salam carriers.
Bandwidth per call
Modern VC platforms adapt to available bandwidth, but each call has minimum and recommended thresholds:
HD video call (1080p): minimum 1.5 Mbps up + 1.5 Mbps down per participant; recommended 3 Mbps + 3 Mbps.
4K video call: minimum 5 Mbps + 5 Mbps; recommended 8 Mbps + 8 Mbps.
Audio-only call: ~50 kbps per call (negligible).
Screen sharing during HD call: add 1 Mbps to the video call requirement.
Per-room sizing
For a meeting room with 10 participants doing HD video: 10 streams at 3 Mbps each = 30 Mbps minimum. With overhead and burst margin: 40-50 Mbps per room during peak use. For an office with 5 meeting rooms typically running concurrent HD meetings, total VC bandwidth requirement is 200-250 Mbps. This often exceeds office internet circuit capacity if not planned for.
QoS configuration
Quality of Service ensures VC traffic gets priority over less time-sensitive traffic. Without QoS, VC quality degrades when other traffic spikes.
QoS markings for VC traffic: Voice (RTP/UDP) DSCP EF (46), Video (RTP/UDP) DSCP AF41 (34) or AF42 (36), Signalling (SIP, HTTPS) DSCP CS3 (24) or AF31 (26).
Where QoS matters: WAN router (priority queueing on outbound), Internet egress (often the choke point), Wi-Fi access points (WMM-mapped from DSCP), VPN concentrators (preserve markings through tunnels).
QoS configurations must propagate end-to-end. A QoS marking that drops at the carrier edge provides no benefit on the carrier-side path.
KSA carrier observations
Domestic (KSA-to-KSA): generally excellent across STC, Mobily, and Salam. Latency under 30ms typically; jitter low.
KSA to GCC: generally good with minor variability. Direct peering between Saudi carriers and UAE/Bahrain/Qatar/Kuwait is mature.
KSA to Europe/USA: variable. Latency 100-200ms is normal; jitter sometimes problematic during peak hours. SD-WAN with multi-path or premium peering can help.
KSA to East Asia: can be problematic. Routes via Europe add latency. Direct peering improving but still inconsistent.
MPLS vs internet for VC
MPLS provides predictable bandwidth and latency but is expensive. Internet provides high bandwidth at low cost but variable performance.
The sweet spot for most Saudi enterprises: SD-WAN over multiple internet circuits with QoS markings preserved. SD-WAN’s application-aware routing sends VC traffic via the best-performing path in real time. The result rivals MPLS quality at internet pricing. For the highest-demand environments (executive boardrooms, customer-facing contact centres), MPLS or dedicated internet circuits with SLA guarantees remain valuable.
Jitter buffers and packet loss
VC platforms tolerate small amounts of packet loss and jitter through buffering and forward error correction. Beyond thresholds, quality degrades visibly: under 1% imperceptible, 1-3% occasional artifacts, 3-5% noticeable issues, over 5% unworkable. Network monitoring should alert on sustained packet loss above 1% on VC paths.
Troubleshooting poor VC calls
When users complain: check Microsoft Teams Admin Center / Webex Control Hub / Zoom Admin for call quality reports; identify whether issues are user-side, site-side, or path-side; for site-side check internet circuit utilisation, QoS markings preserved, SD-WAN routing decisions; for path-side check carrier path performance, BGP routing, peering changes; for user-side check Wi-Fi quality (RSSI, channel utilisation), device performance, local network.
Get help with VC network optimisation
For a VC-focused network audit and optimisation, contact our team. Pair with networking services, unified communications, and Microsoft Teams.