What is Network Congestion?

Network congestion refers to a scenario where the demand for data transmission in a network exceeds its available capacity, leading to delays and degraded performance. This condition arises when an excessive amount of data traffic is present, resulting in bottlenecks that prevent adequate resource allocation to all incoming data packets. When network resources become overloaded, the time it takes for data packets to travel from the source to the destination increases, which can manifest as slower response times for applications, increased latency, or even packet loss.

Understanding network congestion is crucial for optimizing network performance and ensuring smooth data transmission. While other options may describe related or incidental network issues, they do not capture the essence of congestion. The correct answer emphasizes overloading of network resources, which is the fundamental cause of delays and impaired network functionality.