In data transmission, a device that accepts a data stream from one line and places a sequence of signals, one or more at a time, on several lines, thus performing a spatial multiplexing of the original stream. Note: Examples of a distributor are (a) a mechanical unit with input to a rotor and output through many contacts wiped by the rotor and (b) a set of combinational logic circuits, such as a series of AND gates, that are sequentially enabled by a set of pulses and that are all connected to a common bus carrying the input signals.