For most internet users, there’s one common question they ask- What internet speed do I really need it’s followed by use cases such as downloading files, watching movies, Messenger calls, etc. The required speed depends on each use case and that can range from below 1 Mbps (Megabits) to 100 Mbps or more. So, to help you learn what internet speed you would need for different internet tasks, we have come up with this post.
Back in the Day
More than half a decade ago when I was a trainee at a computer training center, I was first exposed to the internet. I could use the internet and later I got to know that it was ADSL provided by Nepal Telecom (NTC). I, along with other trainees, mostly learned about how to create email accounts and send and receive emails. Later on, internet speed started to grow the trajectory. I vividly remember Subisu promoting its 1 Mbps internet speed to bolster online gaming. Then, I saw large boards with WorldLink advertising 10 Mbps speed making a big leap in the fixed-line internet industry.
Check out: History of the internet in Nepal
I gather that internet speed corresponds with the growing needs and necessities. So, the answer to our question of what internet speed you need is always changing. Besides searching things on Google, people are working online and also performing graphics design and video conferencing. So, it helps to know what the minimum metric for you should be to perform certain tasks on your phone or computer.
How Fast Your Internet Speed Should Be for the Following Tasks?
Basic Internet Browsing
If you are into regular web browsing such as Google search, finding images, looking for maps, etc., an internet speed of around 5 Mbps would be enough for you. The speed is even good for occasional video consumption at high-definition (HD) resolution. But if your internet is to be shared among more members of your family or friends, a 10 – 20 Mbps speed is decent to provide for browsing.
Social Network
Social networking which most of us do doesn’t thankfully demand huge bandwidth speed. The thing is that when it includes playing videos, you may need faster speed. To illustrate, you can easily browse Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), etc. with speeds between 3 Mbps – 5 Mbps. The thing is that you are likely to get higher speed in subscription. In Nepal, most internet service providers (ISP) provide at least 50 Mbps speed which is more than enough for social network sites. And it’s a good speed for both single and multiple users.
Additionally, you can use Facebook for free in Nepal. Ncell, a private telco in Nepal, provides Facebook Basic Mode on its network which allows users to surf Facebook free of any cost.
Messenger Calls
Messenger calls require a max of 10 Mbps. If it’s a voice call, it only needs around 300 Kbps internet speed and video call can do with a 1 Mbps connection. If you engage in group video calls, you should have around 6 Mbps or 7 Mbps internet speed.
| Messenger | Recommended Speed |
| Call | 300 Kbps |
| Video Call | 1 Mbps |
| Group Video Call | 7 Mbps |
The speed here correlates with the speed requirement for other Messaging apps too. Whether it’s EMO, Skype, WhatsApp, or Telegram, the same speed ranges work for you.
Related: SMS or Instant Messaging apps, Which One Should Your Prefer?
Work from Home
Working from home mostly involves tasks such as typing, translating, paraphrasing, etc.), and software development. Anyway, in terms of internet speed, it doesn’t require a huge data rate. The original work is done at your home and on your computer and the client across receives the work online. It may entail working on Photoshop, Canva, WordPress, MS Office programs, Java, etc. Basically, these applications and tasks are not data-intensive, and personally, a 10 Mbps connection should be more than fine.
When you do your work, you submit it to the client. So, it’s more of the need for communication for remote working. Whether you build a website, develop software, type a document, or convert a PDF text file to MS Word, a piece of work may take time to work but doesn’t necessitate a boldly fast data rate. In a nutshell, working from home requires at least a 10 Mbps connection, and the more the better.
Check out: Wifi Vs Mobile data; which one do you prefer?
YouTube
YouTube is where most people watch videos and is one great time-pass platform for internet users. I want to include children, teenagers, and old age demography in this group. But adults like me also watch lots of videos on YouTube and for this reason, it’s best to keep knowledge of the speed you need to run the videos.
Not so surprisingly, the speed requirements are not bafflingly high at all. Google officially recommends 2.5 Mbps internet speed for HD videos with 720p resolution. For HD (1080p) and UHD (4K) videos, the company prefers that you have 5 Mbps and 20 Mbps speed. At the lower end, you can watch SD (360p) and SD (480p) videos with 0.7 Mbps and 1.1 Mbps internet plans, respectively.
| YouTube Video Quality | Resolution | Recommended Speed |
| SD | 360p | 0.7 Mbps |
| SD | 480p | 1.1 Mbps |
| HD | 720p | 2.5 Mbps |
| FHD | 1080p | 5 Mbps |
| Ultra HD | 4K | 20 Mbps |
Netflix and Streaming
Netflix is also very popular in Nepal for watching films, web series, and other content and like YouTube, it also has recommended speed for videos of different resolutions. There’s not much difference in it with YouTube, but let’s explore them anyway. Netflix recommends 3 Mbps internet to watch 720p and 5 Mbps for FHD videos on Netflix. Likewise, for Ultra HD (4K) videos, it’s 15 Mbps. So, it’s not as huge as you might have expected. If you have even 30 Mbps internet, then you are able to watch a 4K video buffer-free.
| Netflix Video Quality | Resolution | Recommended speed |
| High Definition (HD) | 720p | 3 Mbps or higher |
| Full-High Definition (FHD) | 1080p | 5 Mbps or higher |
| Ultra-High Definition (UHD | 4K | 15 Mbps or higher |
Closely look, and the speed requirements for Netflix and YouTube aren’t that huge. So, you can take these speeds for reference for other video streaming platforms. Let me also add that if you want to stream your videos at the same speeds as available on YouTube and Netflix, you can also deploy their recommended speed.
Check out: MSM Video launches to provide blockbuster Nepali movies, Find subscription costs
Gaming
You would be surprised that gaming doesn’t always require a huge internet speed. A 1 Mbps connection can easily allow you to play the majority of games on mobile and even your computer. That is because online gaming is more about latency than speed. But since our article is on speed, let’s focus on the speed part.
Online gaming doesn’t require huge speed because the content of the game is already downloaded on your Android, iOS device, or computer. So, you only need the internet to process the keys and stuff. But games do need you to download supportive content time and again to get an elevated gaming experience. When we consider different types of gaming, the speed requirement also beefs up.
For e.g., casual games such as Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, and Fruit Ninja can work with around 3 Mbps speed. Massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) would require 10 Mbps speed. Likewise, graphics-heavy titles such as Call of Duty, Free Fire, PUBG, etc. can do a good job with 25 Mbps internet speed.
Heavy Internet Users
Heavy internet users, or netizens as they are called, spend a huge portion of their time on the internet, so the internet and consistency remain of paramount importance. If you also fall in this group, then you are browsing the web continuously, using popular apps, watching documentaries, keeping up to date with current affairs posting on social networks, etc. But you also download films, games, documentaries, and other such files in large volumes.
You may do all the things mentioned above or some, but you want to be an avid internet user. To complement such online presence and activities, it’s arguable that you want at least 50 Mbps internet or a three-digit data rate as it helps with faster download and upload. From personal experience, if one’s internet use comprises downloading large files, which can average 50 GB for heavy titles, having 100 to 300 Mbps or even 600 Mbps is a great treat as it downloads files within minutes if not seconds. I have a 150 Mbps connection and takes me around a minute to download an HD movie of 1 GB.
Graphic Designing
If you are into graphics designing, then you would be best served with at least 50 Mbps internet. I am stating this because graphics design needs you to download and upload various images and videos or make greeting cards, etc. At the same time, you are also communicating with your employer or using social network apps and doing multitasking. If you are into intense tasks such as Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI), then your internet speed is between at least 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps. This is to ensure that even while you are busy with many tasks, everything runs smoothly.
Video Conferencing
For video conferencing and webinar purposes, an internet speed of 5 Mbps per user is fairly workable. However, video quality and the number of participants raise the need for higher data speed for video conferencing. As a participant, you would be good with at least 3 Mbps connection for 720p (HD) and at least 5 Mbps for 1080P (FHD) video conferencing one-to-one but probably more if the members are many. So, it’s best to have at least 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps internet to ensure that your video conferencing or webinar remains smooth even if there are multiple members.
Video conferencing is carried out using video conferencing apps such as Zoom and Microsoft Team. If you have the speed quoted above, then you should be fine for communicating online.
Also read: How to Get WiFi in Nepal?
Offices
Offices need the internet for regular browsing, communicating with their customers, and processing their work files. This consists of working with text-based files graphics images, etc. Offices also need the internet to keep in contact with their customers and equipment providers, etc. So, video conferencing Messenger and similar apps can be used for calling. Therefore, it’s a diverse place for the internet use.
So, we expect at least 50 Mbps internet for offices and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). But I want to add that office with many people and round the clock internet shall best use dedicated internet. These types of connections are “dedicated” so you get the entire bandwidth to yourself. Other’s internet is shared between 4 to 8 users.
In Nepal, Nepal Telecom provides leased line internet without FUP (Fair Usage Policy). You can also subscribe to such packages from private ISPs as they offer similar packages for office and enterprise uses.
In Summary
| Activity | Recommended Speed |
| Basic internet browsing | 5 Mbps |
| Social networks | 3 – 5 Mbps |
| Messenger calling | 300 Kbps – 7 Mbps |
| Work from home | 10 Mbps |
| YouTube | 0.7 – 20 Mbps |
| Netflix | 3 – 15 Mbps |
| Gaming | 1 – 25 Mbps |
| Heavy internet use | ≥ 50 Mbps |
| Graphic design | 50 – 100 Mbps |
| Video conference | 3 – 100 Mbps |
| Offices | ≥ 50 Mbps |
Do I have the internet speed I need?
It does look like we all are well covered for the internet speed we need. That’s attributable to how Nepali ISPs provide 3-digit internet speed packages these days. Most fiber internet users in Nepal have at least 50 Mbps to 100 Mbps internet speed on average which covers most internet use cases even offices included.
So, from social media consumption to graphics designing and working from home, most of us have the efficient internet speed to befit our modern-day needs.
Ensure you have the speed you pay for
It’s possible that you are not getting your speed for a technical reason. I was on a 120 Mbps package which was to be upgraded to 150 Mbps in an offer. But mine was not. So, I called my ISP and they promptly upgraded my package to 150 Mbps. But your internet speed might come down with network outages that’s beyond usual circumstances.
Anyway, I urge you to check your internet speed to see if you are getting the speed you have subscribed to. Sometimes, you may not get the speed you should due to having multiple users on the network or faulty hardware. But if it’s the case all the time, do contact your ISP so that they can look into the issue for you.
In Conclusion: Your Ideal Internet Speed
From the post, the minimum speed you require is 300 Kbps which is for Messenger voice calls. But if you are a heavy internet user or into streaming, you need a 3-digit internet plan or even a 1 GB subscription. Vianet provides 2 Gbps internet which is exceptionally potent for large offices. The gist is that most internet users from Nepal’s top ISPs meet the speed requirement for most use cases if not all.
But your internet can be throttled by your ISP if you abuse it. Be careful to avoid that or you can use FUP-free dedicated internet. The thing is we want the fastest possible internet and brag about it. In a more practical sense, we should have a decent speed that ensures that we can do much of our work without glitches. For me, an ideal internet package can be anything between 50 Mbps to 150 Mbps as it can do the job for most Nepali households.
We hope that this post is informative to you and helps you find out what internet speed you need for different uses. We also hope that you are productive with your internet use. For any further queries, do use our comment section down below. We would be happy to help.
