'''Dynamic bandwidth allocation''' is a technique<ref>{{Cite patent|number=US9264664B2|title=Systems and methods for dynamic bandwidth allocation|gdate=2016-02-16|invent1=Pinter|invent2=Chan|inventor1-first=Marco|inventor2-first=Justin|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US9264664B2/en}}</ref> by which traffic bandwidth in a shared telecommunications medium can be allocated on demand and fairly between different users of that bandwidth. This is a form of [[bandwidth management]], and is essentially the same thing as [[statistical multiplexing]].{{disputed inline|Merge with statistical multiplexing?|date=April 2012}} Where the sharing of a link adapts in some way to the instantaneous traffic demands of the nodes connected to the link.
Dynamic bandwidth allocation takes advantage of several attributes of shared networks:
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# most traffic occurs in bursts—there are gaps between packets of information that can be filled with other user traffic
Different network protocols implement dynamic bandwidth allocation in different ways. These methods are typically defined in [[Standardization|standard]]s developed by standards bodies such as the [[ITU]], [[IEEE]], [[FSAN]], or [[IETF]]. One example is defined in the ITU G.983 specification<ref>{{Cite web |title=A broadband optical access system with increased service capability using dynamic bandwidth assignment |url=https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-G.983.4-200111-I/en |access-date=2022-11-28 |website=www.itu.int}}</ref> for [[passive optical network]] (PON).
