The present invention relates to the field of tone detection and, more particularly, to the detection of dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) tones in software based telecommunications systems. As modem telecommunications systems are becoming increasingly software based and typically require only a minimum of physical hardware, much of the necessary telecommunication functionality is now provided by software functions running on powerful computer servers. A common function which is required to be performed by telecommunications systems is that of dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) detection. Accordingly, the present invention aims to provide an efficient software-based DTMF detection system that satisfies the ever increasing need for efficient software functions.