User-specific demodulation reference signals

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, carrying instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor of a system, cause the system to:

• demodulate signals received over a physical telecommunications channel based at least in part on a first channel estimate generated using a demodulation reference signal (DMRS),
• wherein the DMRS is transmitted at a first number of symbol positions;
• detect a condition trigger to change a format of the DMRS to be transmitted at a second number of symbol positions, different from the first number;
• in response to detecting the condition trigger, request the change to the format of the DMRS;
• and
• demodulate signals received over the physical telecommunications channel based on a second channel estimate generated using the DMRS transmitted at the second number of symbol positions.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, carrying instructions, which, when executed by at least one data processor of a system, cause the system to:

• transmit a first data transmission to a user equipment (UE) device via a physical telecommunications channel, the first data transmission including:
• user data, and
• a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) at a first number of symbol positions of an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) scheme, wherein the DMRS in the first data transmission is usable by the UE device to generate a first channel estimate of the physical telecommunications channel;
• detect a condition trigger to change a format of the DMRS from having the first number of symbol positions to having a second number of symbol positions;
• and
• transmit a second data transmission to the UE device via the physical telecommunications channel, the second data transmission including the DMRS at the second number of symbol positions,
• wherein the DMRS in the second data transmission is usable by the UE device to generate a second channel estimate of the physical telecommunications channel.