. Gaussian minimum-shift keying, or GMSK, is similar to standard minimum-shift keying (MSK); however, the digital data stream is first shaped with a
Gaussian filter before being applied to a frequency modulator, and typically has much narrower phase shift angles than most MSK modulation systems. This has the advantage of reducing
sideband power, which in turn reduces out-of-band interference between signal carriers in adjacent frequency channels. However, the Gaussian filter increases the modulation memory in the system and causes
intersymbol interference, making it more difficult to differentiate between different transmitted data values and requiring more complex channel equalization algorithms such as an
adaptive equalizer at the receiver. GMSK has high
spectral efficiency, but it needs a higher
power level than
QPSK, for instance, in order to reliably transmit the same amount of
data. GMSK is most notably used in the
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), in
Bluetooth, in satellite communications, and the
Automatic Identification System (AIS) for maritime navigation. == See also ==