Kilobit per second (Kbps) - Unit Information & Conversion

Definition

A kilobit per second (kbps or kbit/s) is a unit of data transfer rate equal to 1,000 bits per second. It uses the standard SI prefix "kilo-" (k), which represents a factor of 103 or one thousand.

History

The term "kilobit per second" became common with the rise of digital telecommunications and computer networking. Unlike data storage units (like the kilobyte), where "kilo" was sometimes ambiguously used to mean 1024, in the context of data transmission rates, "kilo" has consistently adhered to the standard SI definition of 1000. This standardization was crucial for interoperability between different network equipment and service providers.

Common Uses

Kilobits per second (kbps) is frequently used to measure the speed of data communication links:

• Internet Connection Speeds: Historically used for dial-up modems, ISDN lines, and early broadband services. Still relevant for some mobile data connections or lower-tier internet plans.
• Audio Streaming: Measuring the bitrate (quality) of compressed audio files like MP3s (e.g., 128 kbps, 192 kbps, 320 kbps). Higher kbps generally means better audio quality but larger file size.
• Voice Communication: Used in telephony and Voice over IP (VoIP) systems to specify the bandwidth required for a voice call.
• Low-Bandwidth Video: Bitrates for very low-resolution or highly compressed video streams.