diff --git a/include/openbsc/timer.h b/include/openbsc/timer.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e8dc91a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/openbsc/timer.h
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+/*
+ * (C) 2008 by Holger Hans Peter Freyther <zecke@selfish.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.
+ *
+ */
+
+#ifndef TIMER_H
+#define TIMER_H
+
+#include <sys/time.h>
+
+#include "linuxlist.h"
+
+/**
+ * Timer management:
+ *      - Create a struct timer_list
+ *      - Fill out timeout and use add_timer or
+ *        use schedule_timer to schedule a timer in
+ *        x seconds and microseconds from now...
+ *      - Use del_timer to remove the timer
+ *
+ *  Internally:
+ *      - We hook into select.c to give a timeval of the
+ *        nearest timer. On already passed timers we give
+ *        it a 0 to immediately fire after the select
+ *      - update_timers will call the callbacks and remove
+ *        the timers.
+ *
+ */
+struct timer_list {
+	struct llist_head entry;
+	struct timeval timeout;
+	int active  : 1;
+	int handled : 1;
+
+	void (*cb)(void*);
+	void *data;
+};
+
+/**
+ * timer management
+ */
+void add_timer(struct timer_list *timer);
+void schedule_timer(struct timer_list *timer, int seconds, int microseconds);
+void del_timer(struct timer_list *timer);
+int timer_pending(struct timer_list *timer);
+
+
+/**
+ * internal timer list management
+ */
+struct timeval *nearest_timer();
+void prepare_timers();
+void update_timers();
+
+#endif