Gigabit per second (Gbps)

Definition

One billion bits per second (10⁹ bit/s) in the decimal SI convention.

History

The gigabit per second is 10⁹ bit/s, the SI prefix giga- on the bit per second, in the same decimal convention as the megabit per second.

Where it is used

Fiber links, data-center ports, and multi-gig broadband plans are quoted in gigabits per second.

Typical uses include fiber and data-center links, multi-gig broadband.

Conversion pages

These pages convert gigabit per second to or from another unit in data rate.

• Gigabit per second to megabit per second

Other Data rate units

• Megabit per second (Mbps)

Sources

• IEC 80000-13 IEC 80000-13 (quantities and units — information science); NIST on binary prefixes · Dataset reviewed Nov 11, 2026