Definition

FDMA (frequency division multiple access)

FDMA (frequency division multiple access) is the division of the frequency band allocated for wireless cellular telephone communication into 30 channels, each of which can carry a voice conversation or, with digital service, carry digital data. FDMA is a basic technology in the analog Advanced Mobile Phone Service (AMPS), the most widely-installed cellular phone system installed in North America. With FDMA, each channel can be assigned to only one user at a time. FDMA is also used in the Total Access Communication System (TACS).

The Digital-Advanced Mobile Phone Service (D-AMPS) also uses FDMA but adds time division multiple access (TDMA) to get three channels for each FDMA channel, tripling the number of calls that can be handled on a channel.

Contributor(s): Washington Rodriguez Sanchez
This was last updated in September 2005
Posted by: Margaret Rouse

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