Find out how your current service stacks up!
Broadband Speed Comparison Chart
Connection
type and
or line type. May also
include most used
type by country.
|
Data transfer rate
comparison, which is usually not guaranteed by the
provider.
|
**Approximate
time to download
a 5 MB (Megabyte)
file which is also equal to:
41,943,040 bits.
|
Times
faster
than a 56.6K
dial-up modem
|
Times
faster
than a standard
768 Kbps DSL
|
++Theoretical
Max: bps
(bits per second)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
14.4K
Modem V.32bis
|
14,400
|
14,400
|
48min. 32
sec.
|
0
|
0
|
|
28.8K
Modem V.34
|
28,800
|
28,800
|
24min. 16
sec.
|
0
|
0
|
|
33.6K
Modem V.34+
|
33,600
|
33,600
|
20min. 48
sec.
|
0
|
0
|
|
56.6K
Modem V.90, USR x2
|
*53,000
|
33,600
|
13
min. 11 sec.
|
0
|
0
|
|
56.6K
Modem K56Flex
|
*53,000
|
40,000
|
13min. 11
sec.
|
0
|
0
|
|
56.6K
Modem V.92
|
*53,000
|
48,000
|
13min. 11
sec.
|
0
|
0
|
|
BRI
64K ISDN
|
65,535
|
65,535
|
10 min. 40 sec.
|
1.23
|
0
|
|
Fractional
T-1
|
128,000
|
128,000
|
5 min. 27 sec.
|
2.41
|
0
|
|
BRI
128k ISDN
|
131,072
|
131,072
|
5 min. 20 sec.
|
2.47
|
0
|
|
Average DSL
|
256,000
|
128,000
|
2
min. 43 sec.
|
4.8
|
0
|
|
Covad
Telesurfer DSL
|
384,000
|
128,000
|
1
min. 49 sec.
|
7.2
|
0
|
|
Fast
DSL
|
512,000
|
256,000
|
1
min. 22 sec.
|
9.6
|
0
|
|
Verizon DSL
|
768,000
|
256,000
|
55
sec.
|
14.4
|
0
|
|
SBC
Yahoo! DSL
|
768,000
|
256,000
|
55
sec.
|
14.4
|
0
|
|
Frame
Relay
|
768,000
|
768,000
|
55
sec.
|
14.4
|
0
|
|
High
Speed DSL
|
896,000
|
256,000
|
47
sec.
|
16.9
|
1.16
|
|
Comcast Cable
1.5/256
|
1,544,000
|
256,000
|
27
sec.
|
29.1
|
2.01
|
|
SBC
Yahoo! DSL Expert 1.5/384
|
1,544,000
|
384,000
|
27
sec.
|
29.1
|
2.01
|
|
T-1/DS-1/1.544
Mbps
|
1,544,000
|
1,544,000
|
27 sec.
|
29.1
|
2.01
|
|
Road Runner
Business Class
1.5 Mbps X 1.5 Mbps
Premium Business
|
1,544,000
|
1,544,000
|
27
sec.
|
29.1
|
2.01
|
|
E-1
Europe and Asia
|
2,048,000
|
2,048.000
|
20 sec.
|
38.6
|
2.66
|
|
Road Runner
Residential
3 Mbps X 384 Kbps
|
3,000,000
|
384,000
|
14 sec.
|
56.6
|
3.90
|
|
Road Runner
Business Class
3 Mbps X 512 Kbps
Small Business
|
3,000,000
|
512,000
|
14
sec.
|
56.6
|
3.90
|
|
Road Runner
Business Class
3 Mbps X 768 Kbps
Small Business Advantage
|
3,000,000
|
768,000
|
14
sec.
|
56.6
|
3.90
|
|
Road Runner
Business Class
3 Mbps X 1.5 Mbps
Enterprise
|
3,000,000
|
1,544,000
|
14
sec.
|
56.6
|
3.90
|
|
Road Runner
Business Class
4 Mbps X 2 Mbps
Enterprise Plus
|
4,000,000
|
2,000,000
|
10
sec.
|
75.4
|
5.20
|
Road Runner
Business Class
6 Mbps X 2 Mbps
Enterprise Expanded |
6,000,000 |
2,000,000 |
6.67 sec. |
107.1 |
7.8
|
|
T-2/DS-2/6.3
Mbps
|
6,300,000
|
6,300,000
|
7
sec.
|
118.8
|
8.20
|
|
E-2
Europe and Asia
|
8,448,000
|
8,448.000
|
5 sec.
|
159.3
|
11
|
|
E-3
Europe and Asia
|
34,368,000
|
34,368.000
|
1.2 sec.
|
648.4
|
44.75
|
|
T-3/DS-3/44.7
Mbps
|
44,736,000
|
44,736,000
|
0.93sec.
|
844.0
|
58.25
|
|
Sonet/OC-1 Optical
Fiber
|
51,850,000
|
51,850,000
|
0.81
sec.
|
978.3
|
67.51
|
|
Sonet/OC-3 Optical
Fiber
|
155,520,000
|
155,520,000
|
0.27
sec.
|
2,934
|
202.5
|
|
T-4/DS-4/2.74
Gbps
|
274,000,000
|
274,000,000
|
0.15
sec.
|
5,168
|
356.7
|
|
Sonet/OC-12 Optical
Fiber
|
622,080,000
|
622,080,000
|
0.06
sec.
|
11,737
|
810
|
|
Sonet/OC-48 Optical
Fiber
|
2,488,320,000
|
2,488,320,000
|
0.01
sec.
|
46,949
|
3,240
|
|
Sonet/OC-96 Optical
Fiber
|
4,976,640,000
|
4,976,640,000
|
0.008
sec.
|
93,898
|
6,480
|
|
Sonet/OC-192 Optical
Fiber
|
9,953,280,000
|
9,953,280,000
|
0.004
sec.
|
187,797
|
12,960
|
|
Sonet/OC-255 Optical
Fiber
|
13,219,200,000
|
13,219,200,000
|
0.003 sec.
|
249,418
|
17,212
|
|
Table Notes
The 56.6K modem has
been the standard modem since 1998.
The math for calculating times faster than a 56.6K modem for
example would be:
3 Mbps or 3,000,000 / 53,000 = 56.6 times faster. An easier way
to calculate the
times faster is to simply multiply 18.86 x every 1 Mbps. So
18.86 x 4 Mbps = 75.4
*FCC
limited 56.6K modems to an actual 53K download maximum in
1996.
The V.90 technology came out it 1998 and V.92 came along later in
2000.
**Average speeds
will vary dependent upon: user hardware, data line
condition,
ISP
hardware, Internet traffic,
interconnecting server loads, and target server load.
Average download times are usually longer due to general server
loads and traffic.
++ Theoretical max only exists when all variables and conditions
are aligned. Very few
people, even with the best of hardware and line conditions,
rarely achieve this max. i.e. the
typical 56.6K modem download usually falls into the average
range of 42K to 52K bits/sec.
or 5.1 KB/sec. to 6.3 KB/sec. when downloading a file size of
1MB or more.
Telecommunication
Measurement Guide
Note: The telecommunication industry uses the measurement system
for data
rate and does not use the same system as in binary computing for
storage. Data
transmission includes a start/stop bit ahead and behind the 8
characters, therefore
increments of 10 are used rather than the computing field use in
powers of two.
Hence, a kilobit is equal to 1,000 bits and not 1,024 bits.
Mbps is equal to 1,000,000 bits per second not 1,048,576 bits per
second.
bit =
Smallest unit with either the binary digit value of 0 or 1.
bps = bits per second - data amount to pass a
single point/sec.
Kbps = kilobits per second
= 1,000 (one thousand) bits per second
Mbps = megabits per second
= 1,000,000 (one million) bits per second
Gbps = gigabits per second =
1,000,000,000 (one billion) bits per
second
Tbps = tera bits per second =
1,000,000,000,000 (one trillion) bits per
second
Computer File Size Measurement Guide
B = byte is equal to 8 bits
KB = kilobyte is equal to 1,024 bytes or 8,192
bits
MB = megabyte is equal to 1,024 kilobytes or 8,388,608 bits
5 MB = 5 megabytes is equal to 5,120 kilobytes
or 41,943,040 bits
|
|