A method for wireless communications by a user equipment, UE, comprising: determining, from at least three modulation and coding scheme, MCS, tables which are associated with different modulation schemes, a first modulation scheme to use for communications with a wireless device for a first subset of subframes and a second modulation scheme to use for communications with the wireless device for a second subset of subframes, wherein each of the three MCS tables is associated with a different maximum modulation order; determining, based on one or more conditions, a third modulation order higher than QPSK for the wireless device to transmit at least one control channel, wherein one of the following applies to the one or more conditions: the one or more conditions comprise a corresponding downlink control information, DCI, format used to transmit control information within the at least one control channel, or the one or more conditions are based on a search space in which the at least one control channel is transmitted or on a type of radio network temporary identifier, RNTI, used for the at least one control channel; decoding at least one data channel transmitted in the first subset of subframes using the first modulation scheme; decoding at least one data channel transmitted in the second subset of subframes using the second modulation scheme; and decoding at least one control channel transmitted by the wireless device using a third modulation scheme with the corresponding third modulation order. determining, from at least three modulation and coding scheme, MCS, tables which are associated with different modulation schemes, a first modulation scheme to use for communications with a wireless device for a first subset of subframes and a second modulation scheme to use for communications with the wireless device for a second subset of subframes, wherein each of the three MCS tables is associated with a different maximum modulation order; determining, based on one or more conditions, a third modulation order higher than QPSK for the wireless device to transmit at least one control channel, wherein one of the following applies to the one or more conditions: the one or more conditions comprise a corresponding downlink control information, DCI, format used to transmit control information within the at least one control channel, or the one or more conditions are based on a search space in which the at least one control channel is transmitted or on a type of radio network temporary identifier, RNTI, used for the at least one control channel; the one or more conditions comprise a corresponding downlink control information, DCI, format used to transmit control information within the at least one control channel, or the one or more conditions are based on a search space in which the at least one control channel is transmitted or on a type of radio network temporary identifier, RNTI, used for the at least one control channel; decoding at least one data channel transmitted in the first subset of subframes using the first modulation scheme; decoding at least one data channel transmitted in the second subset of subframes using the second modulation scheme; and decoding at least one control channel transmitted by the wireless device using a third modulation scheme with the corresponding third modulation order.