Definition:
Jitter in voice or video is the result of delay due to the inherent "best efforts" basis (or no QoS) in IP networks. Oversubscription is the primary cause. Oversubscription is generally defined as the sum (of all data types and their packet formats including header (address information) exceeds the the total amount of bandwidth in Bits Per Second available for transmission. Packets sent in excess of the bandwidth are delayed/queued until transmission becomes available. Network utilization is a critical issue. While data can be delayed often a considerable amount of time with any adverse impact, voice starts to jitter or is garbled when packets are delayed or arrive out-of-order as shown here. See tutorial.