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What is a megabit per second?

ISP and network-speed unit — 1 Mbps = 125 kB/s

Definition

Megabits per second (Mbps) is the standard ISP and network-speed unit. 100 Mbps equals 12.5 MB/s download speed. 1 Gbps = 1000 Mbps. Note that marketing "up to" speeds are peak, not sustained.

Common uses

  • Internet broadband speed advertising
  • Network interface card ratings (1 Gbps NIC)
  • Wi-Fi throughput specifications

🌍 Real-world scale

Home fibre: 100–1000 Mbps. 4G mobile: 10–50 Mbps. 5G: 100–1000+ Mbps. Wi-Fi 6: up to 9.6 Gbps theoretical.

Convert from megabits per second

7 conversions
Megabit per Second to Bit1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bMegabit per Second to Byte1 Mbps = 125,000 BMegabit per Second to Kilobyte1 Mbps = 125 KBMegabit per Second to Megabyte1 Mbps = 0.125 MBMegabit per Second to Gigabyte1 Mbps = 0.000125 GBMegabit per Second to Terabyte1 Mbps = 1.2500e-7 TBMegabit per Second to Petabyte1 Mbps = 1.2500e-10 PB

Convert to megabits per second

7 conversions
Bit to Megabit per Second1 b = 1.0000e-6 MbpsByte to Megabit per Second1 B = 8.0000e-6 MbpsKilobyte to Megabit per Second1 KB = 0.008 MbpsMegabyte to Megabit per Second1 MB = 8 MbpsGigabyte to Megabit per Second1 GB = 8,000 MbpsTerabyte to Megabit per Second1 TB = 8,000,000 MbpsPetabyte to Megabit per Second1 PB = 8,000,000,000 Mbps

Tips

  • 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bits/s = 125 kB/s.
  • Divide Mbps by 8 to get MB/s approximate.
  • Real-world speeds are usually 50–80% of advertised peak.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting 100 Mbps to deliver 100 MB/s — 8× overstatement.
  • Confusing Mbps (bits) and MBps (bytes) — capitalisation matters.
  • Comparing Wi-Fi speed (theoretical) with actual throughput.

FAQ about the megabit per second

What is a megabit per second?
Megabits per second (Mbps) is the standard ISP and network-speed unit. 100 Mbps equals 12.5 MB/s download speed. 1 Gbps = 1000 Mbps. Note that marketing "up to" speeds are peak, not sustained.
Where is the megabit per second used?
The megabit per second is commonly used for: Internet broadband speed advertising; Network interface card ratings (1 Gbps NIC); Wi-Fi throughput specifications.
What is an example of a megabit per second in real life?
Home fibre: 100–1000 Mbps. 4G mobile: 10–50 Mbps. 5G: 100–1000+ Mbps. Wi-Fi 6: up to 9.6 Gbps theoretical.
What category does the megabit per second belong to?
The megabit per second is a unit of data, part of the 8-unit data category on UnitConv.
How accurate are megabit per second conversions?
All conversion factors follow NIST and BIPM international standards to 8 significant figures — the highest practical accuracy.
Explore all 8 data units and their conversions.💾 Data hub →