In communication systems, the division of a single channel into time slots which are allocated to different users or input signals. The time slots can be allocated to each input signal in turn, an approach called polling, or to each as it has information to transmit. On reception, each carrier can be distinguished from the others by its time position within the received signal, thereby allowing the original signal to be demodulated. Time-division multiplexing is extensively used in local area networks and satellite communication systems.