Abstract: A method and apparatus for recovering a timing phase and frequency of a sampling clock signal in a receiver are disclosed for determining a desired timing phase by minimizing a mean squared error due to uncancelled precursor intersymbol interference. A detected symbol error is correlated with a signal obtained from the received signal. This correlation function provides an approximate of the time instant where the mean squared error approaches its minimum at which point an unambiguous zero crossing of the correlation function signal is obtained. From such an unambiguous zero crossing, e.g., only one zero crossing, a desired sampling timing instant is determined.