This AbsoluteCounter32, in packets, counts voice packets that arrived too late to be played out by the CODEC during the call. It complements the lost-packet counter by capturing delayed-but-not-lost packets that are still effectively wasted because they missed their playout window, which an administrator uses to distinguish jitter problems from outright loss. For example, a call with low lost-packet count but high late-packet count points the admin toward excessive jitter or an undersized playout buffer rather than actual network drops.