isr.co.ro : glossary Megabit (Mb) Literally, a million (1,000,000) bits. However, in most computer contexts, each thousand is replaced by a binary thousand equal to 1024, which is 2 to the 10th power. So a megabit is usually taken as 1024 x 1024, or 1,048,576 bits. You're most likely to run into the term in the number of bits per second transmitted across medium- to high-speed networks. Often, a shorthand for a megabits per second. Thus, if you're offered a 1-megabit connection to the Internet for a monthly fee of $500, you should be getting 1 million bits per second, not a total of 1 million bits over the month.