A method of operation of a wireless device to provide decoupling of downlink reception and uplink transmission in a mixed licensed carrier and unlicensed carrier wireless communications system, comprising: communicating with a first radio node that operates on a first carrier frequency in a licensed band to obtain a set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to be scheduled for uplink data transmission on the first carrier frequency and/or a set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to receive downlink control transmission on the first carrier frequency; communicating with a second radio node that operates on a second carrier frequency in an unlicensed band to obtain, based on the set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to be scheduled for uplink data transmission on the first carrier frequency and/or the set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to receive downlink control transmission on the first carrier frequency, a set of time resources in which the wireless device will not be scheduled for downlink reception on the second carrier frequency; receiving a downlink data transmission from the second radio node on the second carrier frequency in a time resource that is not in the set of time resources in which the wireless device will not be scheduled for downlink reception on the second carrier frequency; deciding, based on the set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to be scheduled for uplink data transmission on the first carrier frequency and the set of time resources in which the wireless device will not be scheduled for downlink reception on the second carrier frequency, one or more suitable time resources for uplink control transmission on the second carrier frequency; and transmitting, subject to a listen-before-talk procedure, an uplink control transmission on the second carrier frequency in at least one of the one or more suitable time resources for uplink control transmission on the second carrier frequency. communicating with a first radio node that operates on a first carrier frequency in a licensed band to obtain a set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to be scheduled for uplink data transmission on the first carrier frequency and/or a set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to receive downlink control transmission on the first carrier frequency; communicating with a second radio node that operates on a second carrier frequency in an unlicensed band to obtain, based on the set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to be scheduled for uplink data transmission on the first carrier frequency and/or the set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to receive downlink control transmission on the first carrier frequency, a set of time resources in which the wireless device will not be scheduled for downlink reception on the second carrier frequency; receiving a downlink data transmission from the second radio node on the second carrier frequency in a time resource that is not in the set of time resources in which the wireless device will not be scheduled for downlink reception on the second carrier frequency; deciding, based on the set of time resources in which the wireless device is expected to be scheduled for uplink data transmission on the first carrier frequency and the set of time resources in which the wireless device will not be scheduled for downlink reception on the second carrier frequency, one or more suitable time resources for uplink control transmission on the second carrier frequency; and transmitting, subject to a listen-before-talk procedure, an uplink control transmission on the second carrier frequency in at least one of the one or more suitable time resources for uplink control transmission on the second carrier frequency.