A measurement typically used to describe a modem's data transfer in kilobits (1000) per second. The lower case k in this instance refers to kilo, meaning 1,000. This is not to be confused with kilobinary which is denoted with an upper case K and refers to 1,024.

kbps is also used to describe data transfer in various different communication peripherals and/or ports.

A modem or port's data transfer capability is restricted by the speed of the communications line through which it communicates.

Most standard "dial up" connections support up to 56kbps which gives a data transfer of around 6Kb (6 x 1024 bytes) per second. Whereas the data transfer rate for broadband modems will usually be stated in mbps (megabits per second).

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