diff --git a/repos/os/include/net/mac_address.h b/repos/os/include/net/mac_address.h
index 1e2df63272..6b1172e881 100644
--- a/repos/os/include/net/mac_address.h
+++ b/repos/os/include/net/mac_address.h
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * \brief  Ethernet network or MAC address
+ * \brief  Media access control (MAC) address
  * \author Martin Stein
  * \date   2016-06-22
  */
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@
 /* OS includes */
 #include <net/netaddress.h>
 
-namespace Net { using Mac_address = Net::Network_address<6, ':', true>; }
+namespace Net
+{
+	using Mac_address = Net::Network_address<6, ':', true>;
+
+	Mac_address mac_from_string(const char * mac);
+}
 
 #endif /* _NET__MAC_ADDRESS_H_ */
diff --git a/repos/os/src/lib/net/mac_address.cc b/repos/os/src/lib/net/mac_address.cc
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f7318d71be
--- /dev/null
+++ b/repos/os/src/lib/net/mac_address.cc
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+/*
+ * \brief  Media access control (MAC) address
+ * \author Martin Stein
+ * \date   2016-06-22
+ */
+
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2016 Genode Labs GmbH
+ *
+ * This file is part of the Genode OS framework, which is distributed
+ * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2.
+ */
+
+/* Genode includes */
+#include <net/mac_address.h>
+#include <util/token.h>
+#include <util/string.h>
+
+using namespace Net;
+using namespace Genode;
+
+struct Scanner_policy_number
+{
+	static bool identifier_char(char c, unsigned  i ) {
+		return is_digit(c) && c !=':'; }
+};
+
+typedef Token<Scanner_policy_number> Token;
+
+
+Mac_address Net::mac_from_string(const char * mac)
+{
+	Mac_address   mac_addr;
+	Token         t(mac);
+	char          tmpstr[3];
+	int           cnt = 0;
+	unsigned char ipb[6] = {0};
+
+	while(t) {
+		if (t.type() == Token::WHITESPACE || t[0] == ':') {
+			t = t.next();
+			continue;
+		}
+		t.string(tmpstr, sizeof(tmpstr));
+
+		unsigned long tmpc = 0;
+		ascii_to(tmpstr, tmpc);
+		ipb[cnt] = tmpc & 0xFF;
+		t = t.next();
+
+		if (cnt == 6) { break; }
+		cnt++;
+	}
+	if (cnt == 6) {
+		mac_addr.addr[0] = ipb[0];
+		mac_addr.addr[1] = ipb[1];
+		mac_addr.addr[2] = ipb[2];
+		mac_addr.addr[3] = ipb[3];
+		mac_addr.addr[4] = ipb[4];
+		mac_addr.addr[5] = ipb[5];
+	}
+	return mac_addr;
+}