Systems, methods, and apparatuses for characterizing interference based on scheduling a transmission mode are provided. One method includes wirelessly communicating, by a base station (BS), with a plurality of user equipment (UE), selecting one or more other base stations (BSs) associated with the BS, scheduling the selected one or more other BSs associated with the BS to transmit according to at least one transmission mode during a scheduled transmission, and characterizing, by at least one of the plurality of UE, interference at the UE during the scheduled transmission.