
148 Networking Explained, Second Edition
should not consider baud rate and data rate synonymous. Unless otherwise noted, we will
always express bandwidth in terms of bps or bits per second or as a multiple of bits per
second such as: kilobits per second (kbps), which is 1000 bps; megabits per second
(Mbps), which is 1 million bps; and gigabits per second (Gbps), which is 1 billion bps.
27. While we’re at it, is there a difference between bandwidth and throughput? I
often hear these two terms used interchangeably.
When applied to computer communications and networking, bandwidth represents the
theoretical capacity of a communications channel expressed ...