The availability of MSI, LSI and now VLSI, in conjunction with the development of various new decoding and processing algorithms, has dramatically altered the feasibility of applying cost-effective error-correction coding to communication systems, particularly in the telecommunications area. Several of the new techniques now available and the advances which, together with VLSI implementation, they make possible are described. Reed-Solomon codes, either on their own, or in a concatenated arrangement with another block or convolutional code, emerge as possible candidates for a widely applicable ‘standard’ EDC code.