Supportsoft Glossary

Measuring Data Transfer Capacity Online

 A bandwidth or bandwidth capacity, can be defined as the maximum amount of data you can transmit over your internet connection in a specific period (even though this varies from one internet service provider to another and under different conditions of internet connection). It is typically measured using the terms megabit(s) per second (charged and delivered) and gigabit(s) per second (charged and delivered). The bandwidth determines the time taken by users to load websites, watch video files or download files from cloud-based applications, and use those files within cloud-based applications.

If there is not enough bandwidth available to provide all users or all types of digital services the same level of service, their digital services will become very slow, particularly with regard to high-definition (HD) and real-time streaming, and large amounts of data (data storage or transfer) will require large amounts of bandwidth for smooth operation. Adequate bandwidth is critical for businesses to be able to support their productivity levels when numerous employees use applications or when users' or businesses' need for uninterrupted data usage is dependent upon a continuous flow of data.

Bandwidth is different than speed because speed represents how quickly a piece of data travels, whereas bandwidth measures how many pieces of data can travel at the same point in time. An analogy can be made using highway traffic: speed represents how fast automobiles can travel on a highway and bandwidth represents the number of lanes available on a highway.