Data Transfer Rate

Data moves across a communication channel in the form of signals. Each signal can carry one or more bits. The data transfer rate (also called the bit rate) is simply the number of bits transmitted from source to destination in one second. It is measured in bits per second (bps).

For higher data rates, the standard units are:

• 1 Kbps = 2^{10} bps = 1024 bps
• 1 Mbps = 2^{20} bps = 1024 Kbps
• 1 Gbps = 2^{30} bps = 1024 Mbps
• 1 Tbps = 2^{40} bps = 1024 Gbps