Methods and systems for improved channel estimation that jointly consider interference contributions and noise contributions separately. Associated method involve measuring pilot channel signals at a receiver and then determining what component of the measured pilot channel signals are attributable to a serving BS and what component of the measured pilot channel signals are attributable to an interfering BS. This information is used to determine a product of the pilot channel signals attributable to the serving BS and the pilot channel signal attributable to the interfering BS, where the found product is used to estimate said channel.