Patent ID: 8837380

Claim:
A method for wireless communication, comprising: determining, based on a cell identity (ID) of a cell, a set of subcarriers assigned to the cell from among a plurality of sets of subcarriers available for assignment to cells, wherein each of the plurality of sets of subcarriers comprises a plurality of subsets of subcarriers, and wherein each subset of subcarriers of the plurality of subsets of subcarriers assigned to the cell has a same frequency shift from corresponding subsets of subcarriers of other sets of the plurality of sets of subcarriers assigned to other cells; generating a reference signal for transmission on the set of subcarriers assigned to the cell, wherein the cell comprises at least one antenna, with each antenna utilizing one subset of subcarriers for the reference signal in each symbol period in which the reference signal is transmitted and utilizing at least two subsets of subcarriers among the plurality of subsets of subcarriers in at least two different symbol periods; and transmitting the reference signal by the cell on the set of subcarriers assigned to the cell.