This is a list of device bandwidths: the channel capacity (or, more informally, bandwidth) of some computer devices employing methods of data transport is listed by bit/s, kilobit/s (kbit/s), megabit/s (Mbit/s), or gigabit/s (Gbit/s) as appropriate and also MB/s or megabytes per second. They are listed in order from lowest bandwidth to highest.

Whether to use bit/s or byte/s is a matter of debate. The most commonly cited measurement is bolded. In general, parallel interfaces are quoted in byte/s, serial in bit/s.

Many of these figures are theoretical maxima, and various real-world considerations will generally keep the actual effective throughput much lower. See Measuring data throughput. The actual throughput achievable on Ethernet networks, for example (especially when heavily loaded), is a subject of hot debate.

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Note: In telecommunications, 1 kbit/s = 1 000 bit/s, NOT 1 024 bit/s. Thus, all values below use metric prefixes.

Notes

• 56K modem V.90 and V.92 capacity can only be achieved when the upstream (service provider) end of the connection is digital. In addition, certain telecommunications administrations limit the signal strength the modem can transmit onto the telecommunications circuit, which in turn limits the actual maximum data rate to less then the theoretical maximum. In the USA, this limited the possible downstream maximum to 53.3 kbit/s

• ISDN A basic rate interface (BRI) provides 2 'B' channels and one 'D' channel. Each B channel provides 64 kbit/s bandwidth and the 'D' channel carries signalling (call setup) information. Primary rate interfaces (PRI) vary depending on whether the region uses E1 or T1 bearers. In E1 regions, the PRI carries 30 B-channels and 1 D-channel; in T1 regions the PRI carries 23 B-channels and 1 D-channel. The D-channel has different bandwidth on the two interfaces.

• Actual Frame relay connections will vary in throughput from 8 kbit/s to 45 Mbit/s depending on configuration. Most commonly below 2 Mbit/s.

• ADSL connections will vary in throughput from 64 kbit/s to several Mbit/s depending on configuration. Most commonly below 2 Mbit/s. Some ADSL & SDSL connections have a higher bandwidth than T1 but their bandwidth is not guaranteed, and will drop when the system gets overloaded where as the T1 type connections are guaranteed & have no contention ratios.

• DOCSIS 1.0 specifications include technology that was available in the 1995–1996 timeframe, and have become very widely deployed around the world.

• DOCSIS 1.1 specifications provide improved operational flexibility, security, and Quality-of-Service (QoS) features that enable real-time services.

• DOCSIS 2.0 specifications provide dramatically increased upstream throughput for symmetric services.

• DOCSIS 3.0 specifications are currently in development at CableLabs and will include a number of enhancements, most notably, channel bonding and support for IPv6. Channel bonding provides cable operators with a flexible way to increase upstream and downstream throughput to customers, with data rates in the hundreds of megabits and potentially gigabits per second.

• Satellite internet may have a high bandwidth but also has a high latency due to the distance between the modem, satellite & hub. One-way satellite connections exist where all the downstream traffic is handled by satellite and the upstream traffic by land-based connections such as 56K modems & ISDN.

See also

• Bit rate
• Binary prefix
• Comparison of latency and bandwidth
• Measuring data throughput
• Interconnection Speeds Compared

Networking hardware | Computer and telecommunication standards