Technologies are generally described for alleviating inter-cell interference experienced by relays in wireless networks such as cellular systems that rely on relays to facilitate some communication between end user devices and base stations (BTSs). A BTS serving a relay may gather information on resource blocks being used to communicate between the relay and an end user. Then, the BTS may send interference indication signals such as High Interference Indicators (HII) or related signals on behalf of sub-communications executed by entities within the cell. Another BTS of a neighboring cell receiving the signals may avoid scheduling on those resource blocks, if possible, thereby relieving the relay link from potentially significant interference.