What does Mbps stand for? It stands for megabits per second, a unit that measures how fast data moves over a connection. Internet plans, speed test results and router boxes all use it: a plan sold as "300 Mbps" can, at best, move about 300 million bits of data every second.
The small details in the spelling matter. A lowercase b means bits, while a capital B means bytes, and one byte is eight bits. Swapping the two is the usual reason people think their download is slower than the number on the bill.
Quick facts
Stands for
Megabits per secondType
Abbreviation for a unit of measureHow to say it
"megabits per second," or "em bee pee ess"Standard spelling
Mbps (capital M, lowercase bps)Equal to
1,000,000 bits per secondUsed in
Internet plans, speed tests, Wi-Fi gear, video streamingNot to be confused with
MBps, megabytes per second
What does Mbps stand for, part by part?
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| M | Mega, meaning one million |
| b | Bit, the smallest unit of digital data, a 1 or a 0 |
| p | Per |
| s | Second |
Put together, one Mbps is a million bits each second. Speeds for networks are counted in bits because data travels one bit at a time down a line. File sizes on your computer are usually counted in bytes, which is where the confusion starts. Mbps is an abbreviation for a unit, much like mph for miles per hour, not a word you pronounce like NASA.
Mbps vs MBps: bits and bytes
Here is the key rule: divide megabits by 8 to get megabytes.
| Plan speed (Mbps) | Best case download (MBps) | Time for a 1 GB file, roughly |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | about 3.1 | about 5 to 6 minutes |
| 100 | 12.5 | under 1.5 minutes |
| 500 | 62.5 | about 16 seconds |
| 1,000 (1 Gbps) | 125 | about 8 seconds |
Real downloads are usually slower than these best cases, because of Wi-Fi signal, busy servers and other devices sharing the line.
A download window: "Downloading, 11.8 MB/s." On a 100 Mbps plan, that is close to the top speed, since 100 divided by 8 is 12.5. The connection is working well.
How much Mbps do you need?
Needs depend on what you do and how many people share the connection at once. As a rough guide:
- Email, browsing and music: a few Mbps per person is plenty.
- Video calls: a few Mbps of download and upload each, so upload speed matters too.
- HD streaming: often around 5 Mbps per stream.
- 4K streaming: often around 25 Mbps per stream.
- Large game and file downloads: faster plans save real time here.
Add up what happens at the same time in your home. Two people streaming 4K while a third is on a video call need far more than one person reading the news. Your ISP, or internet service provider, lists separate download and upload speeds, and the upload number is often much lower on cable plans.
Writing and saying Mbps
The standard form is Mbps: capital M, lowercase b, p and s. You will also see Mb/s, which means the same thing. All capitals, MBPS, is common in search boxes and some ads, but it hides the bit versus byte difference, so careful writers avoid it. Leave a gap after the figure, as in "200 Mbps," not "200Mbps." Out loud, most people say "megabits per second" or just "megs," as in "we get about 300 megs." Some read the letters, "em bee pee ess." Units of measure are one branch of the family tree laid out in acronym vs abbreviation.
Mbps in real sentences
- "The speed test showed 240 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up."
- "Our plan is advertised as up to 500 Mbps, but the back bedroom gets far less on Wi-Fi."
- "The school recommends at least 10 Mbps for each student on video lessons."
- "Fiber in our area tops out at 1 Gbps, which is 1,000 Mbps."
Find more internet and computer letters on our tech acronyms page.
Questions people ask
Is Mbps the same as MBps?
No. Mbps is megabits per second and MBps is megabytes per second. A byte is 8 bits, so 80 Mbps equals about 10 MBps.
Is 100 Mbps fast?
For a small household, 100 Mbps is enough for browsing, video calls and a few HD streams at once. Larger homes with several 4K streams or big downloads may want more.
Why is my speed lower than my plan's Mbps?
Plans list a maximum. Wi-Fi distance, walls, older devices, busy hours and other people on the network all lower the real speed.
How many Mbps is 1 Gbps?
One gigabit per second equals 1,000 megabits per second.
Is it Mbps or mbps?
The correct form is Mbps, with a capital M for mega. Lowercase m would mean milli, a thousandth, which makes no sense for internet speed.