A method for receiving data performed by a user equipment, UE, the method comprising: • receiving a first data stream over a physical component carrier from a transmission point, TP, and a second data stream over a virtual component carrier from the TP, the physical component carrier and the virtual component carrier having a same carrier frequency and a same carrier bandwidth, the physical component carrier and the virtual component carrier belonging to a same component carrier group and being assigned different carrier indices; • wherein a frame, in the first data stream, communicated over the physical component carrier is aligned in the time domain with a frame, in the second data stream, communicated over the virtual component carrier, and the method further comprises: ∘ decoding a downlink control information, DCI, message carried by the frame communicated over the physical component carrier, the DCI message indicating a starting or ending symbol location for at least one of a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, and a physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, in the frame communicated over the physical component carrier; and ∘ determining that the starting or ending symbol location indicated by the DCI message carried by the frame communicated over the physical component carrier also indicates a starting or ending symbol location for at least one of a PDCCH, a PDSCH, a PUCCH, and a PUSCH in the frame communicated over the virtual component carrier when the starting or ending symbol location for a corresponding one of the PDCCH, the PDSCH, the PUCCH, and the PUSCH in the frame communicated over the virtual component carrier has not been configured via higher layer signaling. • receiving a first data stream over a physical component carrier from a transmission point, TP, and a second data stream over a virtual component carrier from the TP, the physical component carrier and the virtual component carrier having a same carrier frequency and a same carrier bandwidth, the physical component carrier and the virtual component carrier belonging to a same component carrier group and being assigned different carrier indices; • wherein a frame, in the first data stream, communicated over the physical component carrier is aligned in the time domain with a frame, in the second data stream, communicated over the virtual component carrier, and the method further comprises: ∘ decoding a downlink control information, DCI, message carried by the frame communicated over the physical component carrier, the DCI message indicating a starting or ending symbol location for at least one of a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, and a physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, in the frame communicated over the physical component carrier; and ∘ determining that the starting or ending symbol location indicated by the DCI message carried by the frame communicated over the physical component carrier also indicates a starting or ending symbol location for at least one of a PDCCH, a PDSCH, a PUCCH, and a PUSCH in the frame communicated over the virtual component carrier when the starting or ending symbol location for a corresponding one of the PDCCH, the PDSCH, the PUCCH, and the PUSCH in the frame communicated over the virtual component carrier has not been configured via higher layer signaling. ∘ decoding a downlink control information, DCI, message carried by the frame communicated over the physical component carrier, the DCI message indicating a starting or ending symbol location for at least one of a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH, a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, and a physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, in the frame communicated over the physical component carrier; and ∘ determining that the starting or ending symbol location indicated by the DCI message carried by the frame communicated over the physical component carrier also indicates a starting or ending symbol location for at least one of a PDCCH, a PDSCH, a PUCCH, and a PUSCH in the frame communicated over the virtual component carrier when the starting or ending symbol location for a corresponding one of the PDCCH, the PDSCH, the PUCCH, and the PUSCH in the frame communicated over the virtual component carrier has not been configured via higher layer signaling.