A method and apparatus is disclosed herein for uplink pilot reuse and user-proximity detection in wireless networks. In one embodiment, a wireless system is disclosed for use in a wireless network having a plurality of user terminals (UTs), where at least two UTs of the plurality of UTs have pre-assigned user uplink pilot codes and are allocated common pilot resources over at least two concurrent slots, the system comprising a UT-proximity detection processor to determine which UT channels the UT-proximity detection processor can resolve among a group of UTs transmitting pilots in identical pilot resources, the UT-proximity detection processor operable to resolve a UT channel of a UT by determining the UT is in proximity of the system and no other UT in the group of UTs transmitting pilots that has transmitted a pilot on the identical pilot resources is in proximity of the system.