As a result of this delay, people are accidentally irritating each other. It seems like the other person is constantly interrupting you. When you use a cell phone to participate in a business conference call, it's very easy to sound rude, like you're not letting other people talk.

In a way, this is similar to e-mail, where it's very easy for your intent to be misunderstood. In the case of e-mail, the problem is caused by the absence of other cues, such as tone of voice, facial expressions and so on. Cell-phone latency can make you misunderstood as well.

Etiquette is the solution. When you detect latency, apologize and bring up the fact that the phone connection is causing the problem. That lets the other person know you don't intend to interrupt them. When both parties understand that there's a technical problem causing the awkwardness, it eliminates the feeling that the other person is being rude.