diff --git a/include/osmocom/core/msgb.h b/include/osmocom/core/msgb.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57b5d7f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/osmocom/core/msgb.h
@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+#ifndef _MSGB_H
+#define _MSGB_H
+
+/* (C) 2008 by Harald Welte <laforge@gnumonks.org>
+ * All Rights Reserved
+ *
+ * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
+ * with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
+ * 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA.
+ *
+ */
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <osmocom/core/linuxlist.h>
+#include <osmocom/core/utils.h>
+
+#define MSGB_DEBUG
+
+struct msgb {
+	struct llist_head list;
+
+	/* Part of which TRX logical channel we were received / transmitted */
+	/* FIXME: move them into the control buffer */
+	struct gsm_bts_trx *trx;
+	struct gsm_lchan *lchan;
+
+	/* the Layer1 header (if any) */
+	unsigned char *l1h;
+	/* the A-bis layer 2 header: OML, RSL(RLL), NS */
+	unsigned char *l2h;
+	/* the layer 3 header. For OML: FOM; RSL: 04.08; GPRS: BSSGP */
+	unsigned char *l3h;
+	/* the layer 4 header */
+	unsigned char *l4h;
+
+	/* the 'control buffer', large enough to contain 5 pointers */
+	unsigned long cb[5];
+
+	uint16_t data_len;
+	uint16_t len;
+
+	unsigned char *head;
+	unsigned char *tail;
+	unsigned char *data;
+	unsigned char _data[0];
+};
+
+extern struct msgb *msgb_alloc(uint16_t size, const char *name);
+extern void msgb_free(struct msgb *m);
+extern void msgb_enqueue(struct llist_head *queue, struct msgb *msg);
+extern struct msgb *msgb_dequeue(struct llist_head *queue);
+extern void msgb_reset(struct msgb *m);
+
+#ifdef MSGB_DEBUG
+#include <osmocom/core/panic.h>
+#define MSGB_ABORT(msg, fmt, args ...) do {		\
+	osmo_panic("msgb(%p): " fmt, msg, ## args);	\
+	} while(0)
+#else
+#define MSGB_ABORT(msg, fmt, args ...)
+#endif
+
+#define msgb_l1(m)	((void *)(m->l1h))
+#define msgb_l2(m)	((void *)(m->l2h))
+#define msgb_l3(m)	((void *)(m->l3h))
+#define msgb_sms(m)	((void *)(m->l4h))
+
+static inline unsigned int msgb_l1len(const struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	return msgb->tail - (uint8_t *)msgb_l1(msgb);
+}
+
+static inline unsigned int msgb_l2len(const struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	return msgb->tail - (uint8_t *)msgb_l2(msgb);
+}
+
+static inline unsigned int msgb_l3len(const struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	return msgb->tail - (uint8_t *)msgb_l3(msgb);
+}
+
+static inline unsigned int msgb_headlen(const struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	return msgb->len - msgb->data_len;
+}
+
+static inline int msgb_tailroom(const struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	return (msgb->head + msgb->data_len) - msgb->tail;
+}
+
+static inline int msgb_headroom(const struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	return (msgb->data - msgb->head);
+}
+
+static inline unsigned char *msgb_put(struct msgb *msgb, unsigned int len)
+{
+	unsigned char *tmp = msgb->tail;
+	if (msgb_tailroom(msgb) < (int) len)
+		MSGB_ABORT(msgb, "Not enough tailroom msgb_push (%u < %u)\n",
+			   msgb_tailroom(msgb), len);
+	msgb->tail += len;
+	msgb->len += len;
+	return tmp;
+}
+static inline void msgb_put_u8(struct msgb *msgb, uint8_t word)
+{
+	uint8_t *space = msgb_put(msgb, 1);
+	space[0] = word & 0xFF;
+}
+static inline void msgb_put_u16(struct msgb *msgb, uint16_t word)
+{
+	uint8_t *space = msgb_put(msgb, 2);
+	space[0] = word >> 8 & 0xFF;
+	space[1] = word & 0xFF;
+}
+static inline void msgb_put_u32(struct msgb *msgb, uint32_t word)
+{
+	uint8_t *space = msgb_put(msgb, 4);
+	space[0] = word >> 24 & 0xFF;
+	space[1] = word >> 16 & 0xFF;
+	space[2] = word >> 8 & 0xFF;
+	space[3] = word & 0xFF;
+}
+static inline unsigned char *msgb_get(struct msgb *msgb, unsigned int len)
+{
+	unsigned char *tmp = msgb->data;
+	msgb->data += len;
+	msgb->len -= len;
+	return tmp;
+}
+static inline uint8_t msgb_get_u8(struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	uint8_t *space = msgb_get(msgb, 1);
+	return space[0];
+}
+static inline uint16_t msgb_get_u16(struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	uint8_t *space = msgb_get(msgb, 2);
+	return space[0] << 8 | space[1];
+}
+static inline uint32_t msgb_get_u32(struct msgb *msgb)
+{
+	uint8_t *space = msgb_get(msgb, 4);
+	return space[0] << 24 | space[1] << 16 | space[2] << 8 | space[3];
+}
+static inline unsigned char *msgb_push(struct msgb *msgb, unsigned int len)
+{
+	if (msgb_headroom(msgb) < (int) len)
+		MSGB_ABORT(msgb, "Not enough headroom msgb_push (%u < %u)\n",
+			   msgb_headroom(msgb), len);
+	msgb->data -= len;
+	msgb->len += len;
+	return msgb->data;
+}
+static inline unsigned char *msgb_pull(struct msgb *msgb, unsigned int len)
+{
+	msgb->len -= len;
+	return msgb->data += len;
+}
+
+/* increase the headroom of an empty msgb, reducing the tailroom */
+static inline void msgb_reserve(struct msgb *msg, int len)
+{
+	msg->data += len;
+	msg->tail += len;
+}
+
+static inline struct msgb *msgb_alloc_headroom(int size, int headroom,
+						const char *name)
+{
+	static_assert(size > headroom, headroom_bigger);
+
+	struct msgb *msg = msgb_alloc(size, name);
+	if (msg)
+		msgb_reserve(msg, headroom);
+	return msg;
+}
+
+/* non inline functions to ease binding */
+uint8_t *msgb_data(const struct msgb *msg);
+uint16_t msgb_length(const struct msgb *msg);
+
+
+#endif /* _MSGB_H */