A guard period for switching between uplink and downlink subframes is created by shortening a downlink subframe, i.e., by not transmitting during one or more symbol intervals at the end of the subframe. A grant message includes signaling indicating when a shortened subframe is being transmitted. An example method is implemented in a receiving node configured to receive data from a transmitting node in subframes having a predetermined number of symbol intervals. In an LTE system, this receiving node may be a UE, and the subframes are downlink subframes. This example method includes determining that a received subframe is to be shortened, relative to the predetermined number of symbol intervals and, in response to this determination, disregarding a last part of the received subframe by disregarding one or more symbols at the end of the received subframe when processing the received subframe.