Rapid advances in electronic and optical technology have enabled the implementation of powerful error-control codes, which are now used in almost the entire range of information systems with close to optimal performance. These codes and decoding methods are required for the detection and correction of the errors and erasures which inevitably occur in digital information during transmission, storage and processing because of noise, interference and other imperfections.

Error-control coding is a complex, novel and unfamiliar area, not yet widely understood and appreciated. This book sets out to provide a clear description of the essentials of the subject, with comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of the most useful codes and their decoding algorithms. A practical engineering and information technology emphasis, as well as relevant background material and fundamental theoretical aspects, provides an in-depth guide to the essentials of Error-Control Coding.

• Provides extensive and detailed coverage of Block, Cyclic, BCH, Reed-Solomon, Convolutional, Turbo, and Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) codes, together with relevant aspects of Information Theory
• EXIT chart performance analysis for iteratively decoded error-control techniques
• Heavily illustrated with tables, diagrams, graphs, worked examples, and exercises
• Invaluable companion website features slides of figures, algorithm software, updates and solutions to problems     

Offering a complete overview of Error Control Coding, this book is an indispensable resource for students, engineers and researchers in the areas of telecommunications engineering, communication networks, electronic engineering, computer science, information systems and technology, digital signal processing and applied mathematics.

Jorge Castiñera Moreira is Associate Professor (Senior Lecturer) in Communication Systems in the Electronics Department, School of Engineering, Mar del Plata University, Argentina. 
He is Director of the Communications Laboratory, Director of the research project “Open Source software applications for wireless networks” and co-director of the research project “Information Theory. Data Networks. Chaos and Communications”.  Jorge is also responsible for the teaching area “Communications”.

Patrick G. Farrell is Visiting Professor in the Department of Communication Systems at Lancaster University, UK, where he supervises 7 research assistants, 50 PhD and 35 MSc students.  His research interests include error-control coding, coded modulation, digital communications, multi-user communications and information theory and source coding.  Patrick has over 350 publications, reports and presentations, and is Editor of two book series (Academic Press and Research Studies Press).