Power saving is playing an important role in the development of advanced communication devices. For instance, the IEEE 802.3az Ethernet standard [1] and the HomePlug Green physical (PHY) (GP) power line communication (PLC) specifications (HomePlug GP [2]) have been developed to specifically address this problem. Not only power saving but also high transmission rate has to be granted, for instance, in multimedia applications such as high-definition television (HDTV) or 3D virtual video games. It therefore becomes essential to consider advanced communication techniques such as multi-carrier modulation with bit and power loading algorithms, cooperative communication algorithms and cross-layer optimisation.
