gigabit

Some sources define a gigabit to mean 1,073,741,824 (that is, 2³⁰) bits. Although the bit is a unit of the binary number system, bits in data communications are discrete signal pulses and have historically been counted using the decimal number system. For example, 28.8 kilobits per second (Kbps) is 28,800 bits per second. Because of computer architecture and memory address boundaries, bytes are always some multiple or exponent of two. See kilobyte, etc.

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More resources from around the web: - Cary Lu's The Race for Bandwidth - Understanding Data Transmission is recommended. His definitions of kilobit, megabit, and gigabit, however, use binary number system exponents and their decimal equivalents.

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