What does a network experiencing congestion primarily suffer from?

A network experiencing congestion primarily suffers from increased packet loss due to the overwhelming amount of data being transmitted through the network beyond its handling capacity. When the network becomes congested, routers and switches may not have enough buffer space to accommodate incoming packets. As a result, some packets may be dropped entirely. This is especially true in scenarios where the traffic demand exceeds the available bandwidth, leading to a buildup of queued packets. The network’s ability to efficiently deliver data is compromised, leading to a heightened frequency of packet loss, which can severely affect applications and services relying on timely and complete data transmission.

In contrast, decreased latency suggests improved data transmission speed, which is not characteristic of a congested network. Insufficient routing updates may affect how routes are managed but are not a direct result of congestion. Increased broadcast storms involve the excessive sending of broadcast packets and can contribute to network issues, but they are specific to a quantity of broadcasts rather than general congestion. Therefore, the most accurate depiction of the primary impact of network congestion is the resultant increase in packet loss.