Mbps and MBps: Something that we need to pay attention to NOW

What is the difference between Mbps and MBps? Well a lot of techies would obviously say “a factor of eight”, but to the ones who are not versed with the technology behind the two terms, there is not much difference other than the lowercase and uppercase letter “B”. 

But having a similar abbreviation creates discrepancy in the usage of these two distinct terms. While both these terms are closely related, one is used to determine the speed of the internet connection and the other defines the size of the data that can be stored or transferred on storage devices or online. Before we begin, try answering this:

Which one do you think is faster?

80 MB/s        or        120 Mb/s

We know most of you must have chosen option two, is it? This is because humans tend to get enticed with the numbers, plus the similarity in the abbreviation! So let us kill this confusion of M’B’ and M’b’ for once and forever. 

What is MBps and Mbps?

First things first, let me explain to you what is a Bit? A Bit is a binary digit which is one unit of digital data. When 8 such bits combine, they form one Byte. 

MBps stands for MegaByte per second where as  Mbps stands for Megabit per second. Now, what are MegaByte and Megabit?

Megabit is a bundle of 1 million bits. And it is related to Megabyte just like how 1 bit is related to 1 byte. Say, if

1 Byte = 8 Bits

Similarly, 1 Megabyte = 8 Megabits

And the same equation goes with TeraByte and Terabit and GigaByte and Gigabit. 

But what is the difference between the two abbreviations, MBps and Mbps?

With the above explanation, you must be very sure that a megabit is smaller than a megabyte. This is the reason why Megabyte has a capital “B” in MB/s and a Megabit has a small “b” in Mb/s. Although both these terms are used in indicating the transfer speed of data, but both have a specific usage for reference. 

Where exactly to use MBps and Mbps?

Generically, both megabit and megabyte are used to indicate the data transfer speed of something. When we talk about the data transfer speed of storage devices like hard drives, we can measure that transfer speed in terms of both, megabits (Mb) as well as Megabytes(MB). 

But when we talk about the speed of the internet, we use megabits per second (Mbps) or megabytes per second (MBps).   

Now that you know the basics, let us dive a little deeper into the context. When we buy an internet package, the feature packages say you will get a speed of 80 Mbps or 800 Mbps. So, you must understand the following:

80 Mbps speed will allow you to download (80/8) = 10MB data.

Similarly, 800 Mbps will allow you to download (800/8) = 100 MB data.

So, whatever your speed of the internet is, you will be able to download or use data which will be 1/8th of that number. So, you must know what you are paying for. 

What are the marketing tactics related to this?

Internet service providers know human psychology of getting attracted to higher numbers, so they exploit this tendency of the buyers to get enticed by getting more in an economical package. Also they add the word “up to” before the speed they mention they will provide you with, so that you cannot go back to them claiming you are not getting the promised internet speed. 

For example, we offer an internet speed of up to 750 Mbps at Rs. 400/-, is more enticing that we offer an internet speed of up to 95 MBps  at Rs.400/- . Although both are offering the same speed, marketing companies use the former to sell their packages, whereas the fact remains that they will be allowing you to download or use only up to 95 MB data. 

So, concluding with this, we would like to request you to know the difference before making a purchase and then choose the package like-wisely, so that you do not end up overpaying for the unworthy packages. It is a little tricky, but is definitely a crucial difference everyone must know!