A system and method of wireless communication power control is provided which allows for adjusting power levels without requiring high bandwidth for control. Embodiments allocate subcarriers into unequal power groups, each group having a consistent subcarrier power level. Using interference parameter information from a user, a subcarrier is assigned from a group having adequate power to maintain the user's required power level. In general, users with higher power requirements, such as those near cell boundaries, will be assigned subcarriers from a group having a higher power level. A cell may use a different allocation than a neighbor, so that subcarriers with the highest power level in one cell may not also have the highest power level in a neighboring cell. Such diversity may reduce inter-cell interference of the subcarriers near a cell boundary, since no two subcarriers are transmitted with highest power simultaneously by neighboring base stations.