A digital signal processing, DSP, unit (10) for use in a coherent optical receiver for an optical communications network. The DSP unit comprises an adaptive equalizer (12) and a processing block (22). The equalizer (12) comprises input ports for receiving electrical signals, each corresponding to a different state of polarization of an optical signal received by the coherent optical receiver, and output ports, each connected to a processing branch (14). A processing branch comprises a symbol sequence estimator, SSE, (16) and a carrier phase estimator, CPE, (18) comprising an input for receiving signal taped from an output of the processing branch. An output of the CPE is connected to a phase adjuster (20) interconnecting the respective output port of the equalizer and the SSE. The processing block (22) is connected to an output of the CPE, an output of the processing branch and at least one of the output of the phase adjuster and the outputs of the equalizer.