Power-line networks are gaining popularity in various service provisions such as in houses/offices, access networks, ships, aircrafts, trains, vehicles, industry systems control, and advanced metering infrastructure. This popularity is also striding towards smart grid implementations. However, the network structure affects the channel response which exhibits frequency selectivity and time-variant behavior. These effects are due to different terminal loads connected to such systems, number of branches, and different branched line lengths. In addition, different types of cables and signal injection methods used (i.e., with respect to adjacent lines/grounds and the grounding systems implemented in different countries) for such systems render the propagation difficult. Furthermore, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues and more especially electromagnetic interference (EMI) occurring at different frequencies of operations still need more investigations. We are interested in articles which explore various aspects related to the provision of communications services over power-line networks, especially for (but not limited to) the smart grid, as antenna mode and signal propagation in power-line networks for both single-input single-output (SISO), single-input multiple-output (SIMO), and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel modeling and estimation, noise modeling and mitigation techniques, EMC, EMI, modulation and coding techniques for SISO and MIMO, and capacity analysis and coupling mechanics for power-line communication (PLC) systems.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• The influence of grounding system implementations in various countries
• Signal propagation, EMF, and EMC analysis for indoor/outdoor systems, in-ship systems, aircrafts systems, train systems, in-vehicle systems, industry control and application systems, and so forth
• Signal propagation aspects in monitoring energy generation systems using power-line techniques
• Modelling and analysis of power-line networks as a wave guide
• Signal propagation and network infrastructure modeling for advanced metering and smart grid/smart meter infrastructures
• Common-mode current propagation in broadband power-line communication networks
• Channel estimation and capacity analysis for MIMO and SIMO power PLC systems
• Ultrawideband power-line signal propagation
• Spectrum monitoring and sensing techniques and methods for cognitive PLC systems

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