In order to enable a UE receiving a narrowband signal transmitted using in-band resources to use the LTE reference signals to assist the UE in receiving the narrowband signal using an in-band deployment, a phase rotation employed by the base station may be fixed relative to a known reference position in time. An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station may determine a phase offset for a narrowband signal for transmission using wideband resources, the phase offset having a relationship to a reference point in time and transmit the narrowband signal using the determined phase offset. An apparatus for wireless communication at a UE may receive a narrowband signal having a frequency location within a wideband signal and rotate a symbol of the wideband signal by a per symbol phase offset having a relationship of the phase offset to a reference point in time.