kbps

kbps is an abbreviation for kilobits per second, a unit used to express data transfer rates. It specifies how many thousand bits are transmitted each second. In most networking contexts the kilo prefix denotes decimal multiples, so 1 kbps equals 1,000 bits per second. Some computing references reserve binary multiples, in which case the corresponding unit would be a kibibit per second (often written Kibps), where 1 Kibps equals 1,024 bits per second. In practice, kbps almost always implies decimal usage.

kbps is widely used to describe internet connection speeds, modems, and streaming bitrates. It measures throughput rather than storage capacity. Because a bit is one binary digit and a byte is eight bits, 1 kbps equals 125 bytes per second or 0.125 kilobytes per second (assuming decimal kilo). When converting to kilobytes per second, note that most networks use decimal kilobytes per second, while some computer displays use binary-based KiB.

Typical ranges and contexts vary: dial-up connections are often in the tens to low hundreds of kbps; broadband speeds are commonly expressed in Mbps (thousands of kbps) or higher. Streaming audio may require roughly 64–320 kbps, while standard definition video commonly ranges around 1–3 Mbps and high definition can require 5–10 Mbps or more, depending on compression and frame rate.

Limitations: the advertised kbps is typically a maximum theoretical value. Actual throughput is affected by overhead, latency, network congestion, protocol efficiency, and the quality of the connection. kbps is a widely used descriptor for transmission rate, particularly in networking and streaming contexts, but it does not directly indicate usable file transfer speed in bytes per second without accounting for overhead.