Increased symbol length of uplink pilot time slots (UpPTS) in special subframes is disclosed in which a configuration of a first special subframe may be independent from configuration of a second special subframe in the same frame, such that the first UpPTS of the first special subframe is longer than the second UpPTS of the second special subframe. The second UpPTS of the second special subframe may also be longer than legacy UpPTS length in select configurations. A serving base station may select the special subframe configurations in order to balance sounding reference signal (SRS) capacity for compatible user equipments (UEs) and downlink throughput for legacy UEs. The selected special subframe configurations may be transmitted by the serving base stations. In additional aspects, compatible UEs may be configured with at least two separate SRS power control parameters for use in the additional and legacy UpPTS symbols.