What is used to describe the first-level performance of a network connection?

The term that is typically used to describe the first-level performance of a network connection refers to a standard measurement category based on the speed of the connection. In this context, gigabit networks are commonly recognized as a key performance level for modern networking, as they offer data transfer rates of up to one billion bits per second. This significant capacity is suitable for a wide range of applications, including streaming media, gaming, and other data-intensive tasks.

While megabit, terabit, and kilobit networks exist, they do not represent the first-level performance standard used in current network technology discussions. Megabits provide slower speeds (up to 100 megabits per second), kilobits provide even slower performance, and terabits, while indicating a very high potential speed, are not commonly used in typical consumer-grade networking equipment. Thus, the gigabit network is the standard that most accurately encapsulates what is often referred to as first-level performance in contemporary networking.