Britannica AI Icon

frequency-shift keying

communications
Also known as: FSK

Quick Summary

Frequency-shift keying (FSK) is a digital modulation technique used in telecommunications to transmit data. It works by varying the frequency of a carrier wave to represent binary information. In its simplest form, one frequency is used to transmit a digital '1', and a different frequency transmits a digital '0'. This method was utilized in early modems, such as the Bell 103 voiceband modem, to send data over telephone lines at speeds up to 300 bits per second. FSK is a type of digital modulation, where analog carrier waves are modified to reflect the binary nature of digital signals.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.