Method of selecting and switching signal paths in a digital communication system

A method of switching from one signal path to another signal path in a digital communication system in which a digital signal is received in each of two signal paths, and the number of bits in error in the digital signal is estimated for each signal path for each of successive time periods by using a syndrome count available from a forward error correction algorithm before the digital signal is forward error corrected. If a predetermined bit error rate is exceeded in one of the signal paths in the time period, the corrected signal in other signal path is selected before the end of the time period. If the predetermined bit error rate is not exceeded by either of the first and second signal paths in the time period, the selected signal path may remain unchanged, or the signal path with the lowest number of estimated errors may be selected after the end of the time period.