What is a potential cause of echo in VoIP communications?

In VoIP communications, echo can be particularly influenced by network delay. When there is a significant delay in the transmission of voice packets, it can create a scenario where the person on one end hears their own voice echoed back after a moment. This delay might stem from various factors, such as distance, network congestion, or routing issues.

Additionally, echoes can occur when voice signals are picked up by a microphone and sent back through the system with a noticeable lag, making the speaker unaware of what they are hearing until a second later. This phenomenon is often exacerbated in environments with high latency where the natural conversation flow is disrupted.

While other factors like packet loss, low bandwidth, and jitter can affect the quality and clarity of the transmission, they are less directly related to the occurrence of echo compared to network delay, which specifically creates the timing issues that lead to the echo effect in the first place.