diff --git a/openbsc/include/openbsc/bsc_nat.h b/openbsc/include/openbsc/bsc_nat.h
index 97c0a1c..b4f07e0 100644
--- a/openbsc/include/openbsc/bsc_nat.h
+++ b/openbsc/include/openbsc/bsc_nat.h
@@ -393,7 +393,6 @@
 int bsc_write_cb(struct osmo_fd *bfd, struct msgb *msg);
 
 /* IMSI allow/deny handling */
-int bsc_parse_reg(void *ctx, regex_t *reg, char **imsi, int argc, const char **argv) __attribute__ ((warn_unused_result));
 struct bsc_nat_acc_lst *bsc_nat_acc_lst_find(struct bsc_nat *nat, const char *name);
 struct bsc_nat_acc_lst *bsc_nat_acc_lst_get(struct bsc_nat *nat, const char *name);
 void bsc_nat_acc_lst_delete(struct bsc_nat_acc_lst *lst);
diff --git a/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data_shared.h b/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data_shared.h
index 1dec0e4..a639a1c 100644
--- a/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data_shared.h
+++ b/openbsc/include/openbsc/gsm_data_shared.h
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #ifndef _GSM_DATA_SHAREDH
 #define _GSM_DATA_SHAREDH
 
+#include <regex.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
 
@@ -588,4 +589,12 @@
 uint8_t gsm_ts2chan_nr(const struct gsm_bts_trx_ts *ts, uint8_t lchan_nr);
 uint8_t gsm_lchan2chan_nr(const struct gsm_lchan *lchan);
 
+/*
+ * help with parsing regexps
+ */
+int gsm_parse_reg(void *ctx, regex_t *reg, char **str,
+		int argc, const char **argv) __attribute__ ((warn_unused_result));
+
+
+
 #endif
diff --git a/openbsc/src/libcommon/gsm_data.c b/openbsc/src/libcommon/gsm_data.c
index c70ffae..8327758 100644
--- a/openbsc/src/libcommon/gsm_data.c
+++ b/openbsc/src/libcommon/gsm_data.c
@@ -419,3 +419,29 @@
 
 	return gsm48_construct_ra(buf, &raid);
 }
+
+int gsm_parse_reg(void *ctx, regex_t *reg, char **str, int argc, const char **argv)
+{
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = 0;
+	if (*str) {
+		talloc_free(*str);
+		*str = NULL;
+	}
+	regfree(reg);
+
+	if (argc > 0) {
+		*str = talloc_strdup(ctx, argv[0]);
+		ret = regcomp(reg, argv[0], 0);
+
+		/* handle compilation failures */
+		if (ret != 0) {
+			talloc_free(*str);
+			*str = NULL;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return ret;
+}
+
diff --git a/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_utils.c b/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_utils.c
index 84b23d1..0eb8be9 100644
--- a/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_utils.c
+++ b/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_utils.c
@@ -672,31 +672,6 @@
 	}
 }
 
-int bsc_parse_reg(void *ctx, regex_t *reg, char **imsi, int argc, const char **argv)
-{
-	int ret;
-
-	ret = 0;
-	if (*imsi) {
-		talloc_free(*imsi);
-		*imsi = NULL;
-	}
-	regfree(reg);
-
-	if (argc > 0) {
-		*imsi = talloc_strdup(ctx, argv[0]);
-		ret = regcomp(reg, argv[0], 0);
-
-		/* handle compilation failures */
-		if (ret != 0) {
-			talloc_free(*imsi);
-			*imsi = NULL;
-		}
-	}
-
-	return ret;
-}
-
 static const char *con_types [] = {
 	[NAT_CON_TYPE_NONE] = "n/a",
 	[NAT_CON_TYPE_LU] = "Location Update",
diff --git a/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_vty.c b/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_vty.c
index b5c1cf2..55b3958 100644
--- a/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_vty.c
+++ b/openbsc/src/osmo-bsc_nat/bsc_nat_vty.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <openbsc/vty.h>
+#include <openbsc/gsm_data.h>
 #include <openbsc/bsc_nat.h>
 #include <openbsc/bsc_nat_sccp.h>
 #include <openbsc/bsc_msc.h>
@@ -527,7 +528,7 @@
       "Set the USSD query to match with the ussd-list-name\n"
       "The query to match")
 {
-	if (bsc_parse_reg(_nat, &_nat->ussd_query_re, &_nat->ussd_query, argc, argv) != 0)
+	if (gsm_parse_reg(_nat, &_nat->ussd_query_re, &_nat->ussd_query, argc, argv) != 0)
 		return CMD_WARNING;
 	return CMD_SUCCESS;
 }
@@ -641,7 +642,7 @@
 	if (!entry)
 		return CMD_WARNING;
 
-	if (bsc_parse_reg(acc, &entry->imsi_allow_re, &entry->imsi_allow, argc - 1, &argv[1]) != 0)
+	if (gsm_parse_reg(acc, &entry->imsi_allow_re, &entry->imsi_allow, argc - 1, &argv[1]) != 0)
 		return CMD_WARNING;
 	return CMD_SUCCESS;
 }
@@ -664,7 +665,7 @@
 	if (!entry)
 		return CMD_WARNING;
 
-	if (bsc_parse_reg(acc, &entry->imsi_deny_re, &entry->imsi_deny, argc - 1, &argv[1]) != 0)
+	if (gsm_parse_reg(acc, &entry->imsi_deny_re, &entry->imsi_deny, argc - 1, &argv[1]) != 0)
 		return CMD_WARNING;
 	return CMD_SUCCESS;
 }
@@ -797,7 +798,7 @@
 	char *str = NULL;
 
 	memset(&reg, 0, sizeof(reg));
-	if (bsc_parse_reg(_nat, &reg, &str, 1, argv) != 0)
+	if (gsm_parse_reg(_nat, &reg, &str, 1, argv) != 0)
 		return CMD_WARNING;
 
 	vty_out(vty, "String matches allow pattern: %d%s",
diff --git a/openbsc/tests/bsc-nat/bsc_nat_test.c b/openbsc/tests/bsc-nat/bsc_nat_test.c
index d198424..d6105ad 100644
--- a/openbsc/tests/bsc-nat/bsc_nat_test.c
+++ b/openbsc/tests/bsc-nat/bsc_nat_test.c
@@ -745,15 +745,15 @@
 		nat_lst = bsc_nat_acc_lst_get(nat, "nat");
 		bsc_lst = bsc_nat_acc_lst_get(nat, "bsc");
 
-		if (bsc_parse_reg(nat_entry, &nat_entry->imsi_deny_re, &nat_entry->imsi_deny,
+		if (gsm_parse_reg(nat_entry, &nat_entry->imsi_deny_re, &nat_entry->imsi_deny,
 			      cr_filter[i].nat_imsi_deny ? 1 : 0,
 			      &cr_filter[i].nat_imsi_deny) != 0)
 			abort();
-		if (bsc_parse_reg(bsc_entry, &bsc_entry->imsi_allow_re, &bsc_entry->imsi_allow,
+		if (gsm_parse_reg(bsc_entry, &bsc_entry->imsi_allow_re, &bsc_entry->imsi_allow,
 			      cr_filter[i].bsc_imsi_allow ? 1 : 0,
 			      &cr_filter[i].bsc_imsi_allow) != 0)
 			abort();
-		if (bsc_parse_reg(bsc_entry, &bsc_entry->imsi_deny_re, &bsc_entry->imsi_deny,
+		if (gsm_parse_reg(bsc_entry, &bsc_entry->imsi_deny_re, &bsc_entry->imsi_deny,
 			      cr_filter[i].bsc_imsi_deny ? 1 : 0,
 			      &cr_filter[i].bsc_imsi_deny) != 0)
 			abort();