A method, and device implementing the method, for adaptively allocating pilot signals in a wireless communication system. The method includes receiving channel data, including channel length (L) data, inter-carrier interference power (PICI) data, coherence time (CT) data, and a number of subcarriers (N). The method further includes selecting, when L is greater than a first channel length threshold (LTH1), a first number of pilot signals between a minimum value of L and a maximum number of pilot signals NP,MAX, wherein the first number of pilot signals NP are equally spaced in time according to the CT data, and equally spaced in frequency. Further, the method includes selecting, when L is less than LTH1 and PICI is less than a power threshold (PTH), a second number of pilot signals such that the second number of pilot signals is between the minimum value of L and NP,MAX, wherein the second number of pilot signals are equally spaced in time according to the CT data, and equally spaced in frequency. Finally, the method includes selecting, when L is less than LTH1 and PICI is greater than PTH, a third number of pilot signals such that the third number of pilot signals is equal to n times L (nL), wherein n is an integer, the third number of pilot signals being equally spaced in time according to the CT data, and allocated according to a cluster(n) clustered pilot scheme with a cluster size equal to n, the n-sized clusters being clustered in frequency.