Mibit

Mibit, short for mebibit, is a unit of data equal to 2^20 bits, or 1,048,576 bits. It belongs to the binary prefix system introduced to distinguish powers of two from decimal prefixes used for large numbers. The term is used primarily in computing and data communications.

One Mibit equals 1,048,576 bits, and one Mibit per second (Mibit/s) corresponds to 1,048,576 bits per second. In decimal terms, this is about 1.048576 megabits (Mb). Conversely, one megabit equals approximately 0.953704 Mibit.

Notation and usage vary by source. The mebibit is sometimes abbreviated as Mibit or Mib; some texts write Mib for brevity. In networking, data rates in binary prefixes (Mibit/s) are less common than decimal rates (Mbps), but the binary form appears in some technical standards and documentation to indicate exact powers of two.

History and standardization: The binary prefixes mebi- (Mi), gibi- (Gi) and related units were standardized to avoid confusion with decimal prefixes (k, M, G). The mebibit is part of this system, alongside mebibyte (MiB) and others. While widely recognized in theory, practical use varies by domain and region.

See also: mebibit and mebibyte; binary prefixes; megabit; megabyte.