What is Bandwidth?

Bandwidth is often described as “network bandwidth”, “data bandwidth”, or “digital bandwidth”. Essentially, it refers to the information capacity that one connection can handle. The more bandwidth a site or application has, the faster it will load. That’s because the more bandwidth you have, the more data can be transferred simultaneously. In web hosting, plans sometimes have bandwidth limits and charge users overage fees for going beyond them. Alternatively, premium web hosting services may provide “unmetered bandwidth”, which means there is no ceiling. Different online functions have vastly different bandwidth requirements. For example, if you are streaming a movie or playing a video game online, you will need more bandwidth. Reading a simple blog post or email requires less bandwidth. Moreover, some programs enable you to put a limit on your bandwidth. This type of software can help ensure that you never “run out.”