Channel state information (CSI) request procedures are disclosed for use in wireless communication systems. The serving base station transmits an identifier, which signals that the aperiodic reference signal will be transmitted, either in the same subframe or a future subframe, and then transmits the aperiodic reference signal in the designated subframe. UEs served by the base station will receive the identifier, identify a CSI request, either implicitly through the identifier signal received from the base station or explicitly through a UE-specific CSI request, and then generate a CSI report based on the aperiodic reference signal for transmission back to the serving base station.