Downlink (DL) subframes and DL hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) messages may be protected by time division multiplexing (TDM) partitioning. However, TDM partitioning may not be required for uplink (UL) subframes in general. For example, information carried over a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), may be protected by frequency division multiplexing (FDM) partitioning. In fact, one UL subframe may correspond to eNBs of multiple power classes. Since TDM partitioning may be required for DL transmissions, one DL subframe may not correspond to the eNBs of multiple power classes. For some embodiments, groups of subframes may be allocated to the different power classes. Therefore, subframes allocated to an eNB of a power class may observe reduced or no interference from eNBs of other power classes.
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