Patent ID: 8009726

Claim:
A modem, comprising: a carriergroup receiving means configured to receive signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) parameters relating to a plurality of carriers; a carriergrouping means configured to group the plurality of carriers into a plurality of dynamically variable size carrier groups based on the SNR parameters, to determine a carriergroup SNR parameter for each of the plurality of dynamically variable size carrier groups, the carriergroup SNR parameter being a worst case SNR parameter from among the SNR parameters corresponding to the plurality of carriers within each of the plurality of dynamically variable size carrier groups, and to determine carriergroup bitloading and gain parameters for each of the plurality of dynamically variable size carrier groups based upon the worst case SNR parameter for each of the plurality of dynamically variable size carrier groups; and a carriergroup transmitting means configured to transmit at least one message including the carriergroup bitloading and gain parameters for each of the plurality of dynamically variable size carrier groups.