The PHY layer provides transmission and reception of physical layer frames using QAM modulation techniques, and supports data rates in the range of 4-320 Mbps. Selection of the optimal data rate is accomplished automatically while adjusting to the changing electrical characteristics of the channel. Transmissions are fully compatible and coexist with services sharing the same wires such as POTS, V.90/V.92 modems, ISDN, ADSL, ADSL2+, VDSL and TV. Transmissions are also compatible with FCC parts 15 and 68 and with Amateur Radio services.

The PHY layer supports both phone and coax media and enables an integrated network that operates simultaneously over both media.

The PHY layer also supports operation over several spectrum bands. This spectrum shift capability allows co-existence with other services on the same medium and enables the use of several spectrum bands simultaneously (for example, one band can be used for access network while a second band is used for home networking).

PHY layer highlights:

• Optimized for peer-to-peer data transfers
• Modulation supports large range of data rates
• Highest rate achievable is selected for each link depending on line conditions
• Extremely fast adaptation (per packet) to handle dynamically changing conditions
• Supports flexible selection of frequency band  
• Extreme spectral efficiency
• High dynamic range