An upper bound on the probability of error due to intersymbol interference for correlated digital signals

An upper bound on the probability of error due to intersymbol interference in a baseband digital communication system for both correlated and uncorrelated digital signals is derived. Examples of the bound are presented for common data communication systems, and in the uncorrelated case, comparison is made with other published results. The bound is computationally simple to apply and in most cases is sufficiently tight to provide a useful design tool.