What the numbers mean.
WHAT BANDWIDTH IS
The capacity of the connection, stated in megabits per second.
WHY BITS RATHER THAN BYTES
Connections are sold in bits; files are measured in bytes.
WHAT THE CONVERSION IS
Divide the advertised figure by eight to estimate file transfer speed.
WHAT THAT MEANS PRACTICALLY
A connection advertised at a given figure transfers files at roughly an eighth of it.
WHAT CONTENTION IS
Sharing capacity with other customers.
WHY IT MATTERS MOST
It explains why a connection is fast at night and slow in the afternoon.
WHAT A CONTENTION RATIO EXPRESSES
How many customers may share the same capacity.
WHAT DEDICATED BANDWIDTH MEANS
Capacity reserved for you alone.
WHAT IT COSTS
Several times the price of a shared service.
WHO NEEDS IT
Businesses that cannot tolerate variable performance.
WHAT LATENCY IS
The delay before data starts moving, measured in milliseconds.
WHAT IT AFFECTS
Calls, video conferencing, remote desktop, interactive systems.
WHAT JITTER IS
Variation in latency.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR CALLS
Steady delay is manageable; varying delay breaks audio.
WHAT PACKET LOSS IS
Data that does not arrive.
WHAT IT CAUSES
Stuttering calls, slow transfers and repeated retries.
WHAT TO MEASURE
All four, not only speed.
