Systems, methods, and apparatuses for scheduling a user equipment transmission mode to assist uplink interference characterization are provided. One method includes a first base station (BS) wirelessly communicating with a first plurality of user equipment (UE), selecting a second BS associated with the first BS, the second BS wirelessly communicating with a second plurality of UE, selecting a UE from the second plurality of UE, scheduling the selected UE to transmit according to a transmission mode during a scheduled transmission, and characterizing, by the first BS, interference of the selected UE at the first BS during the scheduled transmission.