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 Definition of Bandwidth

Bandwidth has a general meaning of how much information can be carried in a given time period over a wired or wireless communications link, such as a computer, telephone line or coaxial cable. In other words bandwidth is the amount of data that can be transmitted from one source to another per second. The amount of bandwidth available is critical in supporting current and emerging information and Internet services which often require high bandwidth for acceptable performance (George, 2002).

Data flows quickly and smoothly when the amount of traffic traveling in the pipe is small relative to the size of the pipe. When the amount of traffic exceeds the capacity of the pipe, the speed at which data travels begins to drop.

In analog communications, difference between the highest and lowest frequencies is called bandwidth. For example, an analog telephone line accommodates a bandwidth of 3,000 hertz (Hz), the difference between the lowest (300 Hz) and highest (3,300 Hz) frequencies it can carry. In digital communications, bandwidth is expressed in bits per second (bps). Thus, a modem that works at 57,600 bps has twice the bandwidth of a modem that works at 28,800 bps.

In case of Internet, insufficient bandwidth can result in websites functioning very slowly and will therefore be of detriment to websites overall success, or in extreme cases it may even cause websites or emails to stop functioning altogether.

References

George Gilder (2002): The World after Bandwidth Abundance, Free Press