Gigabit Ethernet is part of the Ethernet family of computer networking and communications standards. The Gigabit Ethernet standard supports a theoretical maximum data rate of one gigabit per second (1,000 Mbps).

It was once thought that achieving gigabit speeds with Ethernet would require the use of fiber optic cables or other special network cabling technology. Fortunately, these are only needed for long distances.

For most purposes, Gigabit Ethernet works well with regular Ethernet cable (specifically, the CAT5e and CAT6 cabling standards). These types of cables follow the 1000BASE-T cabling standard (also known as IEEE 802.3ab).

Due to factors such as network protocol overhead and retransmissions due to collisions or other temporary failures, devices cannot actually transfer usable message data at the full 1 Gbps rate. Under normal conditions, effective data transfer can reach 900 Mbps, but average connection speed varies based on many factors.