method and apparatus for two - user join demodulation in a system having transmit diversity . a receiver includes at least a detector unit and a channel estimation unit , and exploits transmit diversity employed by at least one of two users or transmitters on a channel . symbol detection and channel estimation are performed in block or batch fashion , or recursively on a symbol - by - symbol basis . joint detection makes use of transmit diversity by at least one of the transmitting users . channel estimates can be updated using channel tracking . if the signals from the first user and the second user are asynchronous , detection can be accomplished in part through reference to a pulse - shape component . the receiver may be incorporated into a mobile communication terminal .