The transmission of only one of the two sidebands produced by amplitude modulation of a carrier wave. The carrier wave is usually suppressed at the transmitter (in addition to the suppressed sideband) and it is therefore necessary to reintroduce the carrier artificially at the receiver by means of a locally generated oscillation. The frequency of the original carrier must be reproduced in the local oscillation as nearly as possible but this requirement is not as stringent as in double-sideband transmission.

The main advantages of SSB compared to transmission of the carrier and both sidebands are the reduction in transmitter power required for the transmission and the reduced bandwidth required for the transmission of signals within a designated frequency band.