Apparatus, method and computer program product providing a computationally efficient maximum likelihood joint synchronization and channel estimation algorithm

A method, computer program and apparatus operate so as to execute a two-dimensional (2-D) M survivor multi-resolution search algorithm and procedure for a signal received over a channel. The method includes, from one search stage to a next search stage, increasing parameter resolution while fixing a number of search operations at each search stage by a predetermined number of parameter survivors (M); and determining a Maximum Likelihood joint metric based on an accumulated value of survived search stages.