In some aspects of the disclosure, an apparatus for wireless communication includes a receiver and a transmitter. The transmitter is configured to transmit a first transmission during a first time slot and to transmit a second transmission during a second time slot that is after the first time slot. The first transmission includes first data and a first demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with the first data, and the second transmission includes second data and a second DMRS associated with the second data. One or more of the first transmission or the second transmission further includes an indication of whether a joint channel estimation operation is to be performed based on the first DMRS and the second DMRS.