Channel state information reference signal transmission can be used to estimate channel state information. Although resources needed for channel state information reference signals can be small, when multiple bandwidths are deployed within the same orthogonal frequency division multiplexing bandwidth, estimating the channel state information can comprise a channel state information reference signal resource grid for every bandwidth. Therefore, time-frequency resources for channel state information reference signals can be high and occupy a lot of bandwidth, thereby reducing the number of resources for data transmission. Therefore, a non-orthogonal design for channel state information reference signals for a 5G air interface can mitigate bandwidth loss in a 5G network.