diff --git a/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c b/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c
index cf3505e2f587..233334406f0f 100644
--- a/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c
+++ b/drivers/net/phy/phy_device.c
@@ -3027,6 +3027,11 @@ static struct phy_driver genphy_driver = {
 	.set_loopback   = genphy_loopback,
 };
 
+static const struct ethtool_phy_ops phy_ethtool_phy_ops = {
+	.start_cable_test	= phy_start_cable_test,
+	.start_cable_test_tdr	= phy_start_cable_test_tdr,
+};
+
 static int __init phy_init(void)
 {
 	int rc;
@@ -3035,6 +3040,7 @@ static int __init phy_init(void)
 	if (rc)
 		return rc;
 
+	ethtool_set_ethtool_phy_ops(&phy_ethtool_phy_ops);
 	features_init();
 
 	rc = phy_driver_register(&genphy_c45_driver, THIS_MODULE);
@@ -3056,6 +3062,7 @@ static void __exit phy_exit(void)
 	phy_driver_unregister(&genphy_c45_driver);
 	phy_driver_unregister(&genphy_driver);
 	mdio_bus_exit();
+	ethtool_set_ethtool_phy_ops(NULL);
 }
 
 subsys_initcall(phy_init);
diff --git a/include/linux/ethtool.h b/include/linux/ethtool.h
index 48ad3b6a0150..0c139a93b67a 100644
--- a/include/linux/ethtool.h
+++ b/include/linux/ethtool.h
@@ -502,5 +502,30 @@ int ethtool_virtdev_set_link_ksettings(struct net_device *dev,
 				       const struct ethtool_link_ksettings *cmd,
 				       u32 *dev_speed, u8 *dev_duplex);
 
+struct netlink_ext_ack;
+struct phy_device;
+struct phy_tdr_config;
+
+/**
+ * struct ethtool_phy_ops - Optional PHY device options
+ * @start_cable_test - Start a cable test
+ * @start_cable_test_tdr - Start a Time Domain Reflectometry cable test
+ *
+ * All operations are optional (i.e. the function pointer may be set to %NULL)
+ * and callers must take this into account. Callers must hold the RTNL lock.
+ */
+struct ethtool_phy_ops {
+	int (*start_cable_test)(struct phy_device *phydev,
+				struct netlink_ext_ack *extack);
+	int (*start_cable_test_tdr)(struct phy_device *phydev,
+				    struct netlink_ext_ack *extack,
+				    const struct phy_tdr_config *config);
+};
+
+/**
+ * ethtool_set_ethtool_phy_ops - Set the ethtool_phy_ops singleton
+ * @ops: Ethtool PHY operations to set
+ */
+void ethtool_set_ethtool_phy_ops(const struct ethtool_phy_ops *ops);
 
 #endif /* _LINUX_ETHTOOL_H */
diff --git a/net/Kconfig b/net/Kconfig
index d1672280d6a4..3831206977a1 100644
--- a/net/Kconfig
+++ b/net/Kconfig
@@ -455,7 +455,6 @@ config FAILOVER
 config ETHTOOL_NETLINK
 	bool "Netlink interface for ethtool"
 	default y
-	depends on PHYLIB=y || PHYLIB=n
 	help
 	  An alternative userspace interface for ethtool based on generic
 	  netlink. It provides better extensibility and some new features,
diff --git a/net/ethtool/cabletest.c b/net/ethtool/cabletest.c
index 7194956aa09e..888f6e101f34 100644
--- a/net/ethtool/cabletest.c
+++ b/net/ethtool/cabletest.c
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ int ethnl_act_cable_test(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 {
 	struct nlattr *tb[ETHTOOL_A_CABLE_TEST_MAX + 1];
 	struct ethnl_req_info req_info = {};
+	const struct ethtool_phy_ops *ops;
 	struct net_device *dev;
 	int ret;
 
@@ -81,11 +82,17 @@ int ethnl_act_cable_test(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 	}
 
 	rtnl_lock();
+	ops = ethtool_phy_ops;
+	if (!ops || !ops->start_cable_test) {
+		ret = -EOPNOTSUPP;
+		goto out_rtnl;
+	}
+
 	ret = ethnl_ops_begin(dev);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto out_rtnl;
 
-	ret = phy_start_cable_test(dev->phydev, info->extack);
+	ret = ops->start_cable_test(dev->phydev, info->extack);
 
 	ethnl_ops_complete(dev);
 
@@ -308,6 +315,7 @@ int ethnl_act_cable_test_tdr(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 {
 	struct nlattr *tb[ETHTOOL_A_CABLE_TEST_TDR_MAX + 1];
 	struct ethnl_req_info req_info = {};
+	const struct ethtool_phy_ops *ops;
 	struct phy_tdr_config cfg;
 	struct net_device *dev;
 	int ret;
@@ -337,11 +345,17 @@ int ethnl_act_cable_test_tdr(struct sk_buff *skb, struct genl_info *info)
 		goto out_dev_put;
 
 	rtnl_lock();
+	ops = ethtool_phy_ops;
+	if (!ops || !ops->start_cable_test_tdr) {
+		ret = -EOPNOTSUPP;
+		goto out_rtnl;
+	}
+
 	ret = ethnl_ops_begin(dev);
 	if (ret < 0)
 		goto out_rtnl;
 
-	ret = phy_start_cable_test_tdr(dev->phydev, info->extack, &cfg);
+	ret = ops->start_cable_test_tdr(dev->phydev, info->extack, &cfg);
 
 	ethnl_ops_complete(dev);
 
diff --git a/net/ethtool/common.c b/net/ethtool/common.c
index aaecfc916a4d..ce4dbae5a943 100644
--- a/net/ethtool/common.c
+++ b/net/ethtool/common.c
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 #include <linux/net_tstamp.h>
 #include <linux/phy.h>
+#include <linux/rtnetlink.h>
 
 #include "common.h"
 
@@ -373,3 +374,13 @@ int __ethtool_get_ts_info(struct net_device *dev, struct ethtool_ts_info *info)
 
 	return 0;
 }
+
+const struct ethtool_phy_ops *ethtool_phy_ops;
+
+void ethtool_set_ethtool_phy_ops(const struct ethtool_phy_ops *ops)
+{
+	rtnl_lock();
+	ethtool_phy_ops = ops;
+	rtnl_unlock();
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(ethtool_set_ethtool_phy_ops);
diff --git a/net/ethtool/common.h b/net/ethtool/common.h
index a62f68ccc43a..b83bef38368c 100644
--- a/net/ethtool/common.h
+++ b/net/ethtool/common.h
@@ -37,4 +37,6 @@ bool convert_legacy_settings_to_link_ksettings(
 int ethtool_get_max_rxfh_channel(struct net_device *dev, u32 *max);
 int __ethtool_get_ts_info(struct net_device *dev, struct ethtool_ts_info *info);
 
+extern const struct ethtool_phy_ops *ethtool_phy_ops;
+
 #endif /* _ETHTOOL_COMMON_H */