System and method for decoding data

A data receiver comprising:

• a receiving unit configured for receiving a sequence of symbols from a data sender over a noisy data channel;
• a decoding unit comprising at least one first decoder and at least one second decoder configured to run in parallel with the first decoder,
• the at least one first decoder configured for:
• performing, within a search region, a first search for a candidate error pattern among a plurality of candidate error patterns;
• and
• outputting, to at least one second decoder, an indication of a failure of the first search when no candidate error pattern is found within the search region;
• and
• the at least one second decoder configured for:
• performing, in parallel with the first search, a second search for the candidate error pattern by evaluating the plurality of candidate error patterns for codebook membership based on the sequence of symbols, one or more of the plurality of candidate error patterns being skipped from the second search based on the indication of the failure of the first search;
• and
• the decoding unit configured for decoding the sequence of symbols based on an outcome of the first search and the second search.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon program code executable by at least one processor for:

• receiving a sequence of symbols over a noisy data channel;
• performing, within a search region, a first search for a candidate error pattern among a plurality of candidate error patterns;
• outputting an indication of a failure of the first search when no candidate error pattern is found within the search region;
• performing, in parallel with the first search, a second search for the candidate error pattern by evaluating the plurality of candidate error patterns for codebook membership based on the sequence of symbols, one or more of the plurality of candidate error patterns being skipped from the second search based on the indication of the failure of the first search;
• and
• decoding the sequence of symbols based on an outcome of the first search and the second search.