Time Division Multiplexing

multiplexing method in which two or more signals are sent over a single communications network by allotting time slots for each signal, TDM (Telecommunications)

Time-Division Multiplexing (TDM) is a type of digital or (rarely) analog multiplexing in which two or more signals or bit streams are transferred apparently simultaneously as sub-channels in one communication channel, but physically are taking turns on the channel. The time domain is divided into several recurrent timeslots of fixed length, one for each sub-channel. A sample, byte or data block of sub-channel 1 is transmitted during timeslot 1, sub-channel 2 during timeslot 2, etc. One TDM frame consists of one timeslot per sub-channel. After the last sub-channel the cycle starts all over again with a new frame, starting with the second sample, byte or data block from sub-channel 1, etc.
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Digital multiplexing in which two or more apparently simultaneous channels are derived from a given frequency spectrum, i.e. , bit stream, by interleaving pulses representing bits from different channels. (188 ) Note: Successive pulses represent bits from successive channels, e.g., voice channels in a T1 system .

<communications> (TDM) A type of multiplexing where two or more channels of information are transmitted over the same link by allocating a different time interval ("slot" or "slice") for the transmission of each channel. I.e. the channels take turns to use the link. Some kind of periodic synchronising signal or distinguishing identifier is usually required so that the receiver can tell which channel is which.
TDM becomes inefficient when traffic is intermittent because the time slot is still allocated even when the channel has no data to transmit. Statistical time division multiplexing was developed to overcome this problem.
Compare wavelength division multiplexing, frequency division multiplexing, code division multiplexing.
(2001-06-27)