The IEEE 802.3at-2009 standard previously expanded PoE power delivery from 15.4 W (commonly referred to as .af or Type-1 PoE) to 30 W (.at or Type-2 PoE) of sourced power from the PSE (Power Sourcing Equipment) over 2-pairs of Ethernet wires (commonly known as either the Alt-A or Alt-B pair sets). The IEEE 802.3bt standard further expands power delivery up to 90 W sourced from a PSE by allowing for power delivery over both the ALT-A and ALT-B pairsets in parallel. Two new PoE equipment "Types" have also been created as part of the new standard. Type 3 PSE equipment is capable of sourcing up to 60 W of power over 4 pair or 30 W over 2 pair while supporting the new MPS requirements. Type 4 PSE equipment is capable of sourcing up to 90 W of power over 4 pair. The TPS23882B has been designed to be comply with the 2-Pair Type-3 requirements.

The Maintain Power Signature (or MPS) requirements have also been updated for the new standard. The previous version of the standard only required PSEs to maintain power on a port if the PD (Powered Device) current exceeded 10 mA for at least 60 ms every 300 ms to 400 ms. By decreasing these requirements to 6 ms every 320 ms to 400 ms, the minimum power requirement to maintain PoE power have been reduced by a factor of nearly 10.