4.

3 Multiplexing
Outlines
FDM
TDM
WDM

Introduction
Definition
1. The transmission of information from one or
more source to one or more destination over
the same medium.
2. The process which two or more signals
are combined for transmission over a single
communications path.
3. A process where multiple analog message
signals or digital data streams are combined into
one signal with the aim is to share an
expensive resource.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplexing

Make the communications very economical

by transmitting thousands of independent
signals over a single transmission line.
Three predominant ways to multiplex
1.
2.
3.

Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM)

Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)

 Multiplexing

allows several analog signals to

be processed by one analog-to-digital
converter (ADC)

E.g. Several phone calls may be transferred using

one wire.

The

multiplexed signal is transmitted over a

communication channel which may be a
physical transmission medium.

 The

multiplexing divides the capacity of the

low-level communication channel into several
higher-level logical channels, one for each
message signal or data stream to be
transferred.
A reverse process, known as demultiplexing,
can extract the original channels on the
receiver side.

A multiplexing technique may be further extended

into a multiple access method or channel access
method.

E.g. Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)

Multiple access method makes it possible for

several transmitters connected to the same
physical medium to share its capacity.

 Concept

of multiplexing

Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM)

Predominantly

used in analog
communications.
Widely used in FM stereo broadcast.
Compatibility with mono-receivers.
Requires only a slight increase in BW.
Great advantage in increasing system
capacity.

 Transmitting

end of an FDM System

Process

Each signal assigned s different carrier

frequency.
Modulated carrier frequencies are combined for
transmission over a single line by MUX.
At Rx, a DEMUX separates channels by their
frequencies & routes them to the proper end
users.

Time-Division Multiplexing
This technique combines time-domain
samples from different message signals
(sampled at the same rate) and transmits
them together across the same channel.

Performed using a commutator (switch).

At the receiver a decommutator (switch)
is used in synchronism with the
commutator to demultiplex the data.

very sensitive to symbol dispersion, that

is, to variation of amplitude with
frequency or lack of proportionality of
phase with frequency. This problem may
be solved through equalization of both
magnitude and phase.

Time Division Multiplexing (TDM)

Offers

greater system improvement.

Capable of combining various protocols & different
types of signals onto a single high speed
transmission link.

E.g. voice and data

More

efficient than FDM

Methods used to synchronize the operations of

multiplexing and demultiplexing : organize the
multiplexed stream of data as frames with a
special pattern. The pattern is known to the
receiver and can be detected very easily.

 Process

The transmission must be digital in nature.

To transmit telephone conversations (voice is
analog signal)
Analog

signal is converted to digital and transmitted

Reconverted into analog at the Rx telephone.

Block diagram of TDM-PCM

communication system

 Drawbacks

Greater complexity.
Greater transmission BW required.

Wavelength Division Multiplexing

(WDM)
Cost

effective way to increase the capacity of

fiber optic communications.
Make use of the optical fibers available BW
by multiplexing many wavelengths along a
single mode optical fiber channel.
Each wavelength of light can transmit
encoded information at the optimum data
rate.