A method for wireless communication is provided, at a half-duplex node operating in TDD mode and may be used with an eNB in an LTE system. The method comprises receiving a configuration of a first set of subframes for a first link communication containing at least one downlink subframe and at least one uplink subframe. A second set of subframes for a second link communication is then determined. This second set includes at least one backward compatible downlink hybrid automatic repeat request process and at least one backward compatible uplink hybrid automatic repeat request process utilizing a second set of subframes. Communication begins with a first set of nodes using the first link and the first set of subframes. A second set of nodes using the second link and the second set of subframes is also used for communication. Communication to a legacy node is also supported.