Telecommunications link#Downlink

The downlink [ daʊnlɪŋk ] referred in a communication system that connection (English link) with the direction of data flow, which comes from the perspective of a terminal from the direction of the telecommunications network. The downlink is used to download ( download), the data transfer from the direction of ( hierarchically higher standing ) telecommunications network ( down ) to the terminal. The opposite direction is called the uplink.

The term is derived from the satellite communications, where he describes the connection between satellite and earth station where the transfer actually takes place spatially down ( engl. downwards ).

In radio communication systems with frequency division duplexing (FDD ), different frequency, in systems with time division duplex (TDD ) can be used in different time slots (see duplex) for the uplink and downlink.

In mobile communications, the transmission direction from the base station is designated to the mobile terminal by the downlink. From the user's view of the phone is the reception of the downlink channel.