What is digital time division multiplexing?

Digital Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) is a method of transmitting and receiving independent signals over a common frequency channel by utilizing synchronized time slots. Instead of splitting the frequency into smaller bands, TDM divides the channel into sequential discrete time intervals. Each data stream is assigned its own time slot, taking turns transmitting short bursts of data. Because the switching happens extremely fast, the receiving equipment can easily reassemble the bursts into continuous streams. Incorrect options describe assigning data streams to discrete sub-carriers (which is Frequency Division Multiplexing) or using quadrature modulation (QAM). TDM is defined strictly by the sharing of time slots.