Internet Speed Guide

What Do Internet Speed Numbers Mean?

Internet speeds are measured in Megabits per second (Mbps) or Gigabits per second (Gbps). It is important to understand the difference between bits and bytes:

• 1 Megabit (Mb) = 1,000,000 bits
• 1 Megabyte (MB) = 8,000,000 bits (8× larger)
• 100 Mbps internet plan = approximately 12.5 MB/s download speed in file managers
• 1 Gbps = 1,000 Mbps = approximately 125 MB/s

When your ISP advertises "100 Mbps" broadband, a 1 GB file would theoretically download in about 80 seconds. In practice, real-world speeds are slightly lower due to network overhead and protocol headers.

Internet Speed Requirements by Activity

Different online activities require different amounts of bandwidth. Use this guide to understand how much download speed you need for your daily internet use.

How Much Internet Speed Do I Need?

The right broadband speed for your household depends on the number of users, types of activities, and number of connected devices. Use this guide to find the right speed tier for your home:

Understanding Broadband Speed Ratings

Use this reference table to quickly understand what any speed test result means:

Types of Broadband Connection Explained

ADSL (Asymmetric DSL)

Older copper-wire technology delivered over your phone line. Typical speeds: 1–24 Mbps download, 0.5–2 Mbps upload. Speed degrades significantly the further you are from the telephone exchange. Being phased out in many countries in favour of fibre.

FTTC — Fibre to the Cabinet

Fibre optic cable runs from the exchange to the street cabinet, with the final connection to your home still being copper wire. Typical speeds: 30–80 Mbps download, 5–20 Mbps upload. The most common type of "fibre" broadband in the UK and many other countries. Sometimes called "superfast broadband".

FTTP — Fibre to the Premises (Full Fibre)

Fibre optic cable runs all the way from the exchange directly to your home. No copper wire involved. Typical speeds: 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps+ download and upload. The fastest and most reliable residential broadband technology available. Also called "ultrafast broadband" or "gigabit broadband".

Cable Broadband (DOCSIS)

Delivered via the same coaxial cable as cable TV. Speeds: 100–1,200 Mbps download, 10–50 Mbps upload. Very fast download speeds but asymmetric — upload is much slower than download. Common in the US, Canada, and parts of Europe.

5G Home Broadband

Uses the 5G mobile network to deliver home broadband via a router/hub device. Speeds vary widely: 50–800 Mbps depending on signal strength and network congestion. No cable installation required, but performance can vary by location.

Satellite Broadband

Delivered via satellite. Traditional geostationary satellites (e.g. Sky Broadband via satellite) offer 10–30 Mbps with high latency (600ms+). Modern low-Earth orbit (LEO) services like Starlink offer 50–200 Mbps with much lower latency (20–60ms). Best option for rural areas with no fixed-line infrastructure.

Key Speed Metrics Explained

Download Speed

Download speed is how fast data comes from the internet to your device. It affects: web page loading, video streaming quality, downloading files, apps, and games. This is the most advertised metric by ISPs and the one most relevant to typical household usage.

Upload Speed

Upload speed is how fast data leaves your device and goes to the internet. Critical for: video calls and conferencing, live streaming, cloud backups, sending large email attachments, online gaming (player inputs). Most home broadband connections have much slower upload than download — this is normal and by design for home plans.

Ping / Latency

Ping is the round-trip time in milliseconds (ms) for a data packet to travel from your device to a server and back. Lower is better. Critical for: online gaming (target under 50ms), video calls (target under 80ms), and any real-time communication. High ping causes lag regardless of how fast your download/upload speeds are.

Jitter

Jitter is the variation in your ping over time. A stable ping of 40ms is far better than one fluctuating between 5ms and 200ms. High jitter causes: choppy voice calls, frozen video in conferences, rubber-banding in games, and audio artefacts in VoIP. Target under 10ms for best real-time performance.

Packet Loss

Packet loss occurs when data packets travelling across a network fail to reach their destination. Even 1% packet loss can severely impact video calls and gaming. A healthy connection should have 0% packet loss. Persistent packet loss usually indicates a hardware fault (router, cables, or ISP equipment).