The speed of a connection is the amount of information transferred per second. It is measured in Megabits per second. When we talk about 20 Mega, it actually means 20 Megabit per second.

More precisely:

• 1 bit: in computing designates a 0 or a 1.
• It takes 8 bits to create a character: a letter for example.
• 1 Megabit = 1024 bit per second = 128 characters per second
• 2 types of flow: in reception and in transmission
• Transmission rate: this is the speed of data transmission from your computer to the exterior.
• Receive speed: this is the data transfer speed from your operator to your computer. It determines the speed of the download.

The most important is the reception speed, it is this which will determine the speed at which the pages of a site will open or the speed of downloading a file. When you choose a subscription offer with a 20 Mega speed, the 20 Mega relates to the reception speed. The transmission rate is much lower, for example, 1 Mega, which is usually sufficient. You can check this out on the internet.

Good to know: currently, internet providers offer speeds of up to 28 Mega in ADSL.

Connection speed and download speed

The higher the speed, the faster the display of Internet pages, e-commerce websites and the downloads of files (sounds, software, images, videos, etc.) will be.

A difference in speed will not be noticed during small data transfers, such as the display of pages of a site (the difference is only a few hundredths of a second).

On the other hand, you will notice it when downloading large files (music, video, software) which require a significant flow.

Connection speed: depending on the subscription chosen and the distance between your home and the exchange

Subscription

Telecom operators offer you different subscriptions, most often:

• 1 to 8 or 10 Mega (ADSL)
• Up to 20 – 30 Mega (ADSL 2+)
• Up to 200 Mega with optical fibre

This advertised rate is the maximum possible rate, and not necessarily the rate you will get. The actual speed that you will obtain depends on the distance of your home from the telephone exchange.