Which of the following describes a characteristic of asynchronous communication?

Asynchronous communication is characterized by the use of start and stop bits to regulate the transmission of data. This means that data is sent without the sender and receiver needing to be synchronized in time. In an asynchronous system, the sender can transmit data at any time, and the receiver knows when a transmission starts and ends through these signaling bits, which indicate the beginning and the conclusion of a data packet. This allows for more flexible communication, as devices do not need to operate in a timed sequence, making it easier to manage intermittent data transmission.

In contrast to this, other options describe different characteristics or mechanisms. Continuous data transmission without pauses pertains to synchronous communication, where data streams are timed and sent in a constant flow rather than being sporadic. Sending data in regular intervals also aligns more with synchronous methods, where timing is essential for maintaining a consistent rate of data flow. Finally, while asynchronous communication can be utilized in telephony, it is not exclusive to it and can be found in various data communications contexts, such as computing and networking, making the fourth option inaccurate.