Multiple access
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In telecommunication, the term multiple access has the following meanings:
- In computer networks and wireless networks, the term multiple access method is synonym to channel access method; a scheme that allows several terminals connected to the same physical medium to transmit over it, and to share its capacity. Examples of multiple access methods are time division multiple access (TDMA) and carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD). A multiple access protocol is synonym to media access control (MAC).
- The connection of a user to two or more switching centers by separate access lines using a single message routing indicator or telephone number.
- In satellite communications, the capability of a communications satellite to function as a portion of a communications link between more than one pair of satellite terminals concurrently. Three types of multiple access presently used with communications satellites are code-division, frequency-division, and time-division multiple access.
This article contains material from the Federal Standard 1037C (in support of MIL-STD-188), which, as a work of the United States Government, is in the public domain.
