Methods and systems for performing compressed time domain joint channel estimation in a multi-user MIMO wireless network include receiving data corresponding to transmission of training signals from a plurality of users to a base station over a MIMO wireless network, determining a limited data set by limiting the received data in a time domain according to an estimated maximum delay spread, forming a well-conditioned low rank training matrix by identifying a channel model, estimating an active tap from the formed well-conditioned low rank training matrix, and subtracting a contribution of the selected active tap from the limited data set.