A radio communication system includes a multiple number of transmitting apparatus and a receiving apparatus including a multiple number of receive antennas, in which the transmitting apparatus generates a reference signal that is obtained by adding a different time shift to a known signal between the transmitting apparatus and the receiving apparatus, multiplexes a data signal with the reference signal and transmits the resultant signal. The receiving apparatus separates reference signals multiplexed on the signals received from the multiple transmitting apparatus, and estimates channel information from the reference signals, which have been transmitted through common frequencies in part or whole of the signal spectra. Then, the data signal is decoded based on the estimated channel information.