Multi-dimensional joint searcher and channel estimators

A wireless communication receiver ( 20 ) comprises an antenna structure ( 22 ) and a joint searcher and channel estimator ( 24 ). The antenna structure acquires dimensionally differentiated signals which are concurrently utilized by the joint searcher and channel estimator for determining both a time of arrival and channel coefficient. The wireless communication receiver can be either a mobile terminal or a network node (e.g., a radio access network node such as a base station node, also called Node-B). In "spatial" embodiments, the antenna structure comprises an array of plural antennas. The signals acquired by different antennas of the array are dimensionally differentiated with regard to a spatial dimension, and the time of arrival and a composite channel coefficient are essentially concurrently determined by the joint searcher and channel estimator. In "temporal" embodiments, the antenna structure comprises an antenna which provides signals for each of successive sets of pilot data received by the antenna as the dimensionally differentiated signals.