Multiplexing

Carrying multiple signals on one

medium is called multiplexing

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Need for Multiplexing
❚ The higher the data rate, the more cost-
effective the transmission facility. That is
for a given application and for a given
distance, the cost per kbps declines with an
increased in the data rate of the
transmission facility. Similarly, the cost of
transmission and receiving equipment, per
kbps, also declines with increasing data
rate.
❚ Most individual data-communicating devices
require relatively modest data-rate support.
For example, a data rate of between 9600 2
Benefits of Multiplexing
❚ Multiplexing in data communication
tries to share a link between multiple
stations so each one gets to use the
link according to its need.
Multiplexing tries to share the
capacity of a link.
❚ Multiplexing results in more efficient
utilization of data communication
facilities. Naturally there is
complexity associated with
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Terminal Configurations

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Frequency Division
Multiplexing - FDM
❚ The oldest used technique used for
multiplexing.
❚ Possible when the useful bandwidth of the
medium exceeds that of the signals it has
to carry.
❚ Each signal is modulated on a different
carrier frequency. This results in shifting
the spectrum of the signal around the
carrier frequency.
❚ Sufficient guard-band is given so those
neighboring signals do not overlap in the
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 Frequency Division
Multiplexing - FDM
❚ At the receiving end each signal is extracted
by first passing it through a band-pass filter
and then demodulating with the same carrier
frequency that was used to modulate the
signal.
❚ The signals carried using FDM may be analog
signals or may be analog signals representing
digital data. However FDM is mostly a
technique from the era of analog
communications.
❚ In FDM a device uses some of the channel all
of the time.
❚ FDM is used in radio and television
broadcasting. FDM is also used in high 6
Frequency Division
Multiplexing - FDM
❚ Frequency division multiplexing (FDM)
achieves multiplexing by using different
carrier frequencies
❚ Receiver can "tune" to specific frequency
and extract modulation for that one
channel
❚ Frequencies must be separated to avoid
interference - “Wastes” potential signal
bandwidth for guard channels
❚ Only useful in media that can carry multiple
signals with different frequencies - high-
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Frequency Division
Multiplexing
❚ The standard of the analog telephone
network
❚ The standard in radio broadcasting
❚ The standard for video
❙ broadcast
❙ cable
❙ satellite

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Frequency Division Multiplexing
Diagram

9
FDM Process

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Allocation of Frequency Bands
for Broadcast Television

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Time Division Multiplexing -
TDM
❚ Time division multiplexing is more suitable
for digital data.
❚ TDM can be used when the data rate
available on a communication link exceeds
the data rate required by any one of the
sources.
❚ In TDM each source that is to use the link
fills up a buffer with data. A TDM
multiplexer scans the buffers in some
predetermined order and transmits bits
from each source one after the other.
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Synchronous Time Division
Multiplexing (TDM)
❚ requires digital signaling & transmission
❚ requires data rate = sum of inputs +
framing
❚ data rate much higher than equivalent
analog bandwidth uses
❚ separates data streams in time not
frequency
❚ the standard of the modern digital
telephone system
❙ US, Canada, Japan: DS-0, DS-1 (T-1), DS-3
(T-3), ...
❙ Europe, elsewhere: E-1, E3, ... 13
Time Division Multiplexing -
TDM
❚ The sources are either pure digital (i. e.
computers) or analog (voice or video)
converted into digital using PCM.
❚ In TDM a device uses all of the channel
some of the time.
❚ Time division multiplexing uses a single
carrier and sends data streams sequentially
❚ Transmitter/receiver pairs share single
channel
❚ Basis for most computer networks using
shared media
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Synchronous Time Division
Multiplexing
❚ Data rate of medium exceeds data
rate of digital signal to be transmitted
❚ Multiple digital signals interleaved in
time
❚ May be at bit level of blocks
❚ Time slots preassigned to sources and
fixed
❚ Time slots allocated even if no data
❚ Time slots do not have to be evenly
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Time Division Multiplexing

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TDM Process

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Digital Multiplexing
Hierarchy
❚ This method could be further used for
increasing the number of channels
yet again from 32 channels to 4*32
channels and so on. Each increase is
of course accompanied by a suitable
increase in the bit rate of the line.
❚ Well, we succeeded in sending 32
channels over a single line, but how
will the receiving end (the
demultiplexer) know which bit
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Synchronisation
❚ Special bits in the bit stream are used
for synchronisation. These bits tell the
demultiplexer where a new 32 byte
group starts so it will know how to
divide the following bits between the
channels. No synchronisation is
needed for distinguishing between
each of the 32 channels.
❚ If we multiplex several 32 channels
together, more synchronisation bits
are added for distinguishing between
the different groups. 19
Digital Data and Video
❚ The upside for transmitting digital
data or video is that no analog to
digital conversion is needed. Instead,
the bit stream in directly inserted into
the multiplexer. Video, which needs a
much higher bit rate than 64 Kbps is
usually inserted directly into the
second level multiplexer, thus
allowing a bit rate of 1.5-2 Mbps.

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TDM Link Control
❚ No headers and trailers
❚ Data link control protocols not needed
❚ Flow control
❙ Data rate of multiplexed line is fixed
❙ If one channel receiver can not receive
data, the others must carry on
❙ The corresponding source must be
quenched
❙ This leaves empty slots
❚ Error control
❙ Errors are detected and handled by 21
Data Link Control on TDM

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Framing
❚ No flag or SYNC characters bracketing
TDM frames
❚ Must provide synchronizing
mechanism
❚ Added digit framing
❙ One control bit added to each TDM frame
❘ Looks like another channel - “control
channel”
❙ Identifiable bit pattern used on control
channel
❙ e.g. alternating 01010101…unlikely on a
data channel 23
Pulse Stuffing
❚ Problem - Synchronizing data sources
❚ Clocks in different sources drifting
❚ Data rates from different sources not
related by simple rational number
❚ Solution - Pulse Stuffing
❙ Outgoing data rate (excluding framing
bits) higher than sum of incoming rates
❙ Stuff extra dummy bits or pulses into
each incoming signal until it matches
local clock
❙ Stuffed pulses inserted at fixed locations
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Basic ISDN Interface (1)
❚ Digital data exchanged between
subscriber and NTE - Full Duplex
❚ Separate physical line for each direction
❚ Pseudoternary coding scheme
❙ 1=no voltage, 0=positive or negative
750mV +/-10%
❚ Data rate 192kbps
❚ Basic access is two 64kbps B channels
and one 16kbps D channel
❚ This gives 144kbps multiplexed over
192kbps
❚ Remaining capacity used for framing 25
Basic ISDN Interface (2)
❚ B channel is basic user channel
❚ Data
❚ PCM voice
❚ Separate logical 64kbps connections
o different destinations
❚ D channel used for control or data
❙ LAPD frames
❚ Each frame 48 bits long
❚ One frame every 250µs
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Frame Structure

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Primary ISDN
❚ Point to point
❚ Typically supporting PBX
❚ 1.544Mbps
❙ Based on US DS-1
❙ Used on T1 services
❙ 23 B plus one D channel
❚ 2.048Mbps
❙ Based on European standards
❙ 30 B plus one D channel
❙ Line coding is AMI using HDB3
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Statistical TDM
❚ The TDM described above is called
synchronous TDM.
❚ In synchronous TDM time slots are
dedicated to sources in advance even
if they have no data to send in the
time slot. This might be wasteful.
❚ Statistical TDM allocates time slots on
demand and uses extra framing,
synchronisation, addressing bits
(HDLC) so that each frame can be
sent to the proper receiving end
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Statistical Time Division
Multiplexing
❚ requires digital signaling &
transmission
❚ data rate capacity required can be
well below the sum of connected
capacity
❚ same concepts as synchronous TDM
❚ uses memory buffers to hold excess
input
❚ widely used for remote
communications with multiple
terminals
❚ similar to the medium-sharing done 30