The Basics: Mbps vs MB/s
First, a vital clarification: ISPs sell "Megabits" (Mbps), but downloads are often shown in "Megabytes" (MB/s). The ratio is 8 to 1.
- 100 Mbps Internet ≈ 12.5 MB/s real download
- 300 Mbps Internet ≈ 37.5 MB/s real download
- 1000 Mbps (1 Gbps) ≈ 125 MB/s real download
Recommendations by Activity
Streaming (Netflix, YouTube)
| Quality | Recommended speed |
|---|---|
| HD (720p) | 3 Mbps |
| Full HD (1080p) | 5 Mbps |
| 4K (UHD) | 15 Mbps |
* Per simultaneous device. Source: Netflix, "Internet connection speed recommendations" (Netflix Help Center, retrieved 2026-08-11). Every platform publishes its own figures.
Gaming Online
- Min Speed A few Mbps
- Ideal Ping As low as possible
For gaming, LATENCY (Ping) matters more than speed. 10 Mbps fiber is better than 300 Mbps satellite.
Reference: ITU-T G.1010 (2001), Table I.2 — interactive games: one-way delay under 200 ms and zero information loss. The ping shown by the test is a round trip, so the equivalent is roughly half that value.
Video Calls
- Zoom / Teams (HD) A few Mbps upload
- Audio Tens of kbit/s
UPLOAD speed is critical here. If you look pixelated, you lack upload speed.
Reference for audio: ITU-T G.1010 (2001), Table I.1 — conversational voice: 4 to 64 kbit/s. For HD video, check the requirement your platform publishes.
Heavy Downloads
Time to download a 100GB game:
- 50 Mbps ~4.5 hours
- 300 Mbps ~45 mins
- 1 Gbps ~14 mins
Theoretical calculation (size / speed). It does not include protocol overhead or download-server limits.
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The Verdict: Which plan to buy?
- 50 - 100 Mbps: Ideal for 1-2 people. HD streaming and basic browsing.
- 300 Mbps: Standard family (3-4 people). Multiple 4K streams and simultaneous gaming.
- 500 Mbps - 1 Gbps: Power Users / Content Creators. Massive downloads and home servers.
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