1. A Viterbi decoding system comprising: memory configured to store a Viterbi decoding algorithm, wherein the Viterbi decoding algorithm specifies a plurality of Viterbi decoding operations; and a general purpose processor comprising a plurality of application specific extensions, wherein each application specific extension is configured to perform at least one of the Viterbi decoding operations specified in the Viterbi decoding algorithm stored in the memory, wherein the Viterbi decoding system is configured such that all the Viterbi decoding operations specified in the Viterbi decoding algorithm are performed exclusively within the general purpose processor using at least one of the application specific extensions.