diff --git a/src/humanize/__init__.py b/src/humanize/__init__.py
index 6fb9959..ab3aaef 100644
--- a/src/humanize/__init__.py
+++ b/src/humanize/__init__.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from humanize.bitrate import natural_bitrate
 from humanize.filesize import naturalsize
 from humanize.i18n import activate, deactivate, decimal_separator, thousands_separator
 from humanize.lists import natural_list
@@ -36,6 +37,7 @@
     "intcomma",
     "intword",
     "metric",
+    "natural_bitrate",
     "natural_list",
     "naturaldate",
     "naturalday",
diff --git a/src/humanize/bitrate.py b/src/humanize/bitrate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63ebed8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/humanize/bitrate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+
+def natural_bitrate(value: float) -> str:
+    """Format a bitrate value (bps) into a human-readable string using SI units (1000-based).
+
+    Args:
+        value: Bitrate in bits per second (bps).
+
+    Returns:
+        Human-readable bitrate string (e.g., "1 kbps", "5.2 Mbps", "10 Gbps").
+    """
+    units = ["bps", "kbps", "Mbps", "Gbps", "Tbps"]
+    unit_index = 0
+
+    while value >= 1000 and unit_index < len(units) - 1:
+        value /= 1000
+        unit_index += 1
+
+    if unit_index == 0:
+        return f"{value:.0f} {units[unit_index]}"
+    else:
+        return f"{value:.1f} {units[unit_index]}"