text: what are the average download speeds for 128k, 192k, 512k, 768k connections? by this i mean actual download speeds, not upstream or downstream speeds. thanks. it looks like you're referring to broadband connections.  a simple answer to your question won't be exact, since there are many variables.  a low-end digital subscriber link like i used to have (qwest) advertised 256k download speeds, but provided as little as 60-156k download speeds. when i called their tech support, the guy said, "oh, you never get the advertised speed."   there are faster dsl providers, but they charge more.  a cable broadband service (like mine....comcast) advertises much higher speeds than it actually delivers.  i get between 1 meg and 3 meg download speeds, when the advertised speed is more than double my average download speed.  with cable, the connection is shared with others in your neighborhood, so the speed goes down when more people are on line. with dsl, your speed will be fairly stable, but much lower on the average.