A method for multiplexing reference signal (RS) transmissions from user equipments (UEs), with the RS having a bandwidth larger than the data signal bandwidth (distributed RS) is provided. A transmission time interval (TTI) comprises of one or more sub-frames and each sub-frame comprises of at least two RS transmission periods and a plurality of data signal transmission periods. A distributed RS is transmitted during at least one of the at least two RS transmission periods in at least one of the sub-frames comprising the TTI. During the remaining RS transmission periods, for a UE having a data signal transmission, the RS bandwidth is substantially the same as the data signal bandwidth (localized RS). The total system bandwidth is divided into contiguous, non-overlapping sub-bandwidths, called reference signal multiplexing blocks (RSMBs). Transmission of distributed RS occurs within an RSMB and does not cross over different RSMBs. The size and number of RSMBs can be re-configurable in time and a re-configuration period is much larger than the TTI duration.