diff --git a/sys/include/net/ng_netdev.h b/sys/include/net/ng_netdev.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f0f22895d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/sys/include/net/ng_netdev.h
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2014 Martine Lenders <mlenders@inf.fu-berlin.de>
+ * Copyright (C) 2015 Freie Universität Berlin
+ *
+ * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser
+ * General Public License v2.1. See the file LICENSE in the top level
+ * directory for more details.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * @defgroup    net_netdev Network device driver interface
+ * @addtogroup  net
+ * @{
+ *
+ * @file
+ * @brief       Network device driver interface definition.
+ *
+ * @author      Martine Lenders <mlenders@inf.fu-berlin.de>
+ * @author      Hauke Petersen <hauke.petersen@fu-berlin.de>
+ */
+
+#ifndef __NETDEV_H_
+#define __NETDEV_H_
+
+#include <errno.h>
+#include <stdint.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+
+#include "net/ng_pktsnip.h"
+#include "net/ng_netconf.h"
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+extern "C" {
+#endif
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Type for @ref msg_t if device fired an event
+ */
+#define NETDEV_MSG_EVENT_TYPE           (0x0100)
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Possible event types that are send from the device driver to the
+ *          MAC layer
+ */
+typedef enum {
+    NETDEV_EVENT_RX_STARTED     = 0x0001,   /**< started to receive a packet */
+    NETDEV_EVENT_RX_COMPLETE    = 0x0002,   /**< finished receiving a packet */
+    NETDEV_EVENT_TX_STARTED     = 0x0004,   /**< started to transfer a packet */
+    NETDEV_EVENT_TX_COMPLETE    = 0x0008,   /**< finished transferring packet */
+    /* expand this list if needed */
+} ng_netdev_event_t;
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Event callback for signaling event to a MAC layer
+ *
+ * @param[in] type          type of the event
+ * @param[in] arg           event argument, can e.g. contain a pktsnip_t pointer
+ */
+typedef void (*ng_netdev_event_cb_t)(ng_netdev_event_t type, void *arg);
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Forward declaration of *ng_netdev_t*
+ */
+typedef struct ng_netdev ng_netdev_t;
+
+/**
+ * @brief   Network device API definition.
+ *
+ * @details This is a set of functions that must be implemented by any driver
+ *           for a network device.
+ */
+typedef struct {
+    /**
+     * @brief Send data via a given network device
+     *
+     * @param[in] dev       network device descriptor
+     * @param[in] pkt       pointer to the data in the packet buffer
+     *
+     * @return              number of bytes that were actually send out
+     * @return              -ENODEV if *dev* is invalid
+     * @return              -ENOMSG if pkt is invalid
+     */
+    int (*send_data)(ng_netdev_t *dev, ng_pktsnip_t *pkt);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief   Registers an event callback to a given network device
+     *
+     * @param[in] dev       network device descriptor
+     * @param[in] cb        function that is called on events
+     *
+     * @return              0 on success
+     * @return              -ENODEV if *dev* is invalid
+     * @return              -ENOBUFS if maximum number of callbacks is exceeded
+     */
+    int (*add_event_callback)(ng_netdev_t *dev, ng_netdev_event_cb_t cb);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief   Unregisters an event callback from a given network device
+     *
+     * @param[in] dev       network device descriptor
+     * @param[in] cb        callback function
+     *
+     * @return              0 on success
+     * @return              -ENODEV if *dev* is invalid
+     * @return              -ENOPKG if callback was not registered
+     */
+    int (*rem_event_callback)(ng_netdev_t *dev, ng_netdev_event_cb_t cb);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief   Get an option value from a given network device
+     *
+     * @param[in] dev           network device descriptor
+     * @param[in] opt           option type
+     * @param[out] value        pointer to store the option's value in
+     * @param[in,out] value_len the length of *value*. Must be initialized to
+     *                          the available space in *value* on call.
+     *
+     * @return              0 on success
+     * @return              -ENODEV if *dev* is invalid
+     * @return              -ENOTSUP if *opt* is not supported
+     * @return              -EOVERFLOW if available space in *value* given in
+     *                      *value_len* is too small to store the option value
+     */
+    int (*get)(ng_netdev_t *dev, ng_netconf_opt_t opt,
+                      void *value, size_t *value_len);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief   Set an option value for a given network device
+     *
+     * @param[in] dev       network device descriptor
+     * @param[in] opt       option type
+     * @param[in] value     value to set
+     * @param[in] value_len the length of *value*
+     *
+     * @return              0 on success
+     * @return              -ENODEV if *dev* is invalid
+     * @return              -ENOTSUP if *opt* is not supported
+     * @return              -EINVAL if *value* is invalid
+     */
+    int (*set)(ng_netdev_t *dev, ng_netconf_opt_t opt,
+               void *value, size_t value_len);
+
+    /**
+     * @brief   This function is called by a MAC layer when a message of type
+     *          NETDEV_MSG_EVENT_TYPE was received
+     *
+     * @param[in] dev           network device descriptor
+     * @param[in] event_type    event type, given by @ref msg_t::value in the
+     *                          received message
+     */
+    void (*isr_event)(ng_netdev_t *dev, uint16_t event_type);
+} ng_netdev_driver_t;
+
+/**
+ * @brief   The netdev data-structure holds the minimum information needed for
+ *          interaction with MAC layers and can be expanded with device
+ *          specific fields
+ *
+ * The netdev structure is the parent for all network device driver descriptors.
+ */
+struct ng_netdev {
+    ng_netdev_driver_t *driver;     /**< pointer to the devices interface */
+    ng_netdev_event_cb_t event_cb;  /**< netdev event callback */
+    kernel_pid_t mac_pid;           /**< the driver's thread's PID */
+};
+
+#ifdef __cplusplus
+}
+#endif
+
+#endif /* __NETDEV_H_ */
+/** @} */