The present invention relates to an equalising structure and method for a receiving device of a wireless communication system, in which transmit information is modulated onto carrier signals according to a modulation scheme, whereby all possible data symbols are represented as constellation points in the signal constellation of the modulation scheme and whereby the equalizing structure performs a maximum likelihood detection in order to determine a constellation point with a minimum Euclidean distance to a received signal vector as a most likely received signal vector, with dividing means for dividing the constellation points into two or more groups of constellation points, allocating means for allocating a representative signal vector to each of the formed groups, first detecting means for performing a maximum likelihood detection in order to determine one or more of the representative signal vectors having the minimum Euclidean distance to the received signal vector, and second detecting means for performing a maximum likelihood detection in order to determine which one of the constellation points in the group(s) of the one or more determined representative signal vectors has the minimum Euclidean distance to the received signal vector. |