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What Is Bandwidth?
Bandwidth is a measure of how much information a network can transfer in a given amount of time. It is typically defined as the number of bits, kilobits, megabits, or gigabits that may be sent in one second over an internet connection. Generally, the greater the bandwidth, the quicker your devices download information from the internet.
Bandwidth may also be used colloquially to indicate a person’s capacity for tasks or deep thoughts at a point in time.
Key Takeaways
- Bandwidth is a measure of how much information a network can transfer.
- The volume of data that can be transported varies, impacting how effectively a transmission medium, such as an internet connection, operates.
- Internet service providers (ISPs) typically denote bandwidth speeds in millions of bits per second (Bps), or megabits (Mbps), and billions of Bps, or gigabits (Gbps).
- Generally speaking, the higher the bandwidth, the quicker your devices download information from the internet.
Understanding Bandwidth
Bandwidth is a measure of how much information a network, a group of two or more devices that communicate between themselves, can transfer. Data moves from A to B just as water flows through pipes from a supply point to our faucets. The volume that’s transported varies, impacting how effectively a transmission medium, such as an internet connection, operates.
The wider a pipe is, the more water or other substance can flow through it at any given moment. The same logic can be applied to bandwidth. The higher the bandwidth a connection has, the more data can be sent and received through it.
Bandwidth is not unlimited. Capacity is capped and sometimes even that limit may not be maximized, such as, for example, by being positioned further away from the network device, such as the router.
Moreover, multiple devices using the same connection share bandwidth. If in a household with one internet connection, one person streams a film, another plays a video game online, and someone else downloads files, the connection may become noticeably slower and the capacity to transfer data limited. Different activities use different amounts of bandwidth. For example, streaming 4K video requires more data transfer resources than writing and sending a simple text email.
Bandwidth is determined by various factors, including your internet plan, router, and the distance the device is from your router.
Bandwidth vs. Speed
Contrary to what many people think, bandwidth is not a measure of speed and the two terms should not be used interchangeably.
Using the water pipe metaphor again, speed would be how quickly water moves through the pipe, whereas bandwidth would represent the quantity of water able to move through the pipe within a given time period. More bandwidth, or a wider pipe, does not equal more speed.
How to Measure Bandwidth
Traditionally, bandwidth was expressed in bits per second (Bps). However, these days it’s more common to see bandwidths measured in megabits per second (Mbps) or even gigabytes per second (Gbps). One Mbps is the equivalent of one million Bps. And one Gbps equals 1,000 Mbps or one billion Bps.
Any device can measure the bandwidth it has at any given time. Special websites or the ISP can calculate the bandwidth by sending a file through the connection and then waiting for the information to return.
Bandwidth can be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Symmetrical bandwidth means the data capacity is the same for uploads and downloads. Asymmetrical, on the other hand, means download and upload capacity are not equal. When bandwidth is asymmetrical, upload capacity is usually smaller than download capacity.
There is software that lets you limit the quantity of bandwidth a program is allowed to use.
Bandwidth Control
There is software that lets you limit the quantity of bandwidth a program is allowed to use. This can be helpful if, say, you want to continue downloading a file while streaming a film but don’t want it to impact your viewing experience.
In this scenario, you could instruct the bandwidth control program to limit the amount of bandwidth the download can access. Doing this would ensure the download continues without eating away at the available bandwidth and making everything else run slowly.
Limiting the download to, say, 15% of the total bandwidth should leave enough capacity for the film to stream in high quality without lags and issues. The trade-off is that the download won’t be as quick and will take longer to complete.
Bandwidth Requirements
The amount of bandwidth required to surf the web seamlessly depends on the task the user wishes to undertake.
For instance, general browsing could use 0.33 Mbps/333 Kbps, sending a basic email 1 Mbps, instant messaging 0.5 Mbps/500 Kbps, and a video conversation with multiple people about 8 Mbps. Standard high-definition video generally requires a minimum of 3 Mbps. Push the quality up to 4k and the bandwidth requirement jumps to at least 15 Mbps.
History of Bandwidth
Since 1994, the internet has transformed from a niche technology serving mainly to interconnect laboratories engaged in government research to a key part of everyday life. In 1995, 0.68% of the world’s population reportedly had access to the internet. Fast-forward to 2024, and over two-thirds of the globe is connected.
People now depend on the internet to communicate, purchase goods, earn an income, gain access to information, and entertain themselves. Over the years, the technology has become more content-heavy, sophisticated, and populated, meaning the amount of bandwidth required to use it effectively has increased substantially.
According to Speedtest.net, between June 2023 and June 2024 the average download speed and upload speed globally was 93.93 Mbps and 47.27 Mbps, respectively, for fixed broadband and 56.43 Mbps and 11.53, respectively, for mobile. The fastest countries for fixed broadband were Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong, while the fastest countries for mobile bandwidth were Qatar, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
244.68 Mbps
The average bandwidth for fixed broadband connections in the U.S. from June 2023 to June 2024.
What Is the Meaning of Bandwidth?
Bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted in a specified amount of time.
What Is a Good Bandwidth?
A good bandwidth allows you to transmit and receive the amount of data you need without overloading your connection’s capacity. A medium business might require at least 25 Mbps down and 3 Mbps up speeds, while a smaller business could use less. However, the faster your bandwidth is, the better it is for you and your customers.
How Much Is 1 Gigabit of Bandwidth?
One gigabit of bandwidth is one billion bits per second (1,000 megabits per second). One megabit is one million bits per second.
The Bottom Line
Bandwidth measures how much information can be sent over a network per second. It is commonly discussed in reference to internet connections, with a higher bandwidth being associated with greater speed and the ability to connect multiple devices simultaneously without compromising performance.