A communication network (100) includes a plurality of communication devices (102, 104) communicating over multiple systems or channels and also communicating over a short range link, such as a personal area Network (PAN) link (106). The plurality of communication devices (102, 104) utilize pre-stored scan lists (156, 166) and cooperative scanning (600). The cooperative scanning involves partitioning the scan lists (156, 166) among the plurality of devices via the short range link to minimize battery consumption or enhance scan performance.