Multi-symbol analysis for digital symbol determination

A method of digitizing an analog communication signal having a bandwidth and representing a digital symbol with plural discrete samples of the analog communication signal in a selected one of plural symbol periods, comprising:

• filtering the communication signal to narrow its bandwidth, the filtering introducing inter-symbol interference that renders the digital symbol indeterminate from the plural discrete samples in the selected symbol period;
• and
• determining the digital symbol from plural selected samples corresponding to the selected symbol period, the plural selected samples including signal components from symbol periods other than the selected symbol period.

In a digital signal processor for digitizing an analog communication signal having a bandwidth and representing a digital symbol with plural discrete samples of the analog communication signal in a selected one of plural symbol periods, a computer readable medium having stored thereon software instructions, comprising:

• software instructions for filtering the communication signal to narrow its bandwidth, the filtering introducing inter-symbol interference that renders the digital symbol indeterminate from the plural discrete samples in the selected symbol period;
• and
• software instructions for determining the digital symbol from plural selected samples corresponding to the selected symbol period, the plural selected samples including signal components from symbol periods other than the selected symbol period.