Uplink sounding reference signals for machine type communications (mtc) user equipment (ue)

A wireless radio node for assigning uplink bandwidth of a wireless system to a wireless device, the wireless radio node comprising:

• a processor operable to:
• allocate a first uplink sub-channel associated with the wireless device, wherein the first uplink sub-channel comprises a portion of an uplink system bandwidth, and portions of the uplink system bandwidth outside of the first uplink sub-channel are not available for transmission in the first subframe by the wireless device;
• and
• determine a first sounding reference signal (SRS) sub-channel, wherein the first SRS sub-channel comprises a portion of the first uplink sub-channel in frequency domain, and the SRS sub-channel is available for transmitting SRS in the first subframe by the wireless device.

A wireless device of a wireless system, comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• an interface operable to
• receive, from a wireless radio node, an indication of an allocated first uplink sub-channel in a first subframe, wherein the first uplink sub-channel comprises a portion of an uplink system bandwidth, and portions of the uplink system bandwidth outside of the first uplink sub-channel are not available for transmission in the first subframe by the wireless device;
• and
• receive an indication of a first SRS sub-channel, wherein the first SRS sub-channel comprises a portion of the first uplink sub-channel in frequency domain, and the SRS sub-channel is available for transmitting SRS in the first subframe by the wireless device.