What speed does a 'Gigabit Ethernet' connection support?

A Gigabit Ethernet connection supports a speed of 1 Gbps, which is equivalent to 1000 Mbps. This standard is defined in the IEEE 802.3ab specification for network connections over twisted-pair cables, such as Cat5e and Cat6. Gigabit Ethernet has become a common standard in local area networks (LANs), allowing for high-speed data transfer, making it suitable for applications that require substantial bandwidth, like video streaming, large file transfers, and web applications.

In a typical networking environment, the adoption of Gigabit Ethernet represents a significant upgrade from the previous Fast Ethernet standard, which supported speeds up to 100 Mbps. This advancement is essential for modern networks that need to handle increased traffic and ensure efficient communication between devices. The introduction of 10 Gbps Ethernet further enhances speed for even more demanding applications, but that is outside the scope for the Gigabit standard specifically.