diff --git a/include/net/mac80211.h b/include/net/mac80211.h
index 3b31ec95dd8e938df43f4478cdd0e455eba09776..e33fe795a3a4478550bd57d44f6712bba8449fc1 100644
--- a/include/net/mac80211.h
+++ b/include/net/mac80211.h
@@ -2919,6 +2919,16 @@ void ieee80211_cqm_rssi_notify(struct ieee80211_vif *vif,
 			       enum nl80211_cqm_rssi_threshold_event rssi_event,
 			       gfp_t gfp);
 
+/**
+ * ieee80211_get_operstate - get the operstate of the vif
+ *
+ * @vif: &struct ieee80211_vif pointer from the add_interface callback.
+ *
+ * The driver might need to know the operstate of the net_device
+ * (specifically, whether the link is IF_OPER_UP after resume)
+ */
+unsigned char ieee80211_get_operstate(struct ieee80211_vif *vif);
+
 /**
  * ieee80211_chswitch_done - Complete channel switch process
  * @vif: &struct ieee80211_vif pointer from the add_interface callback.
diff --git a/net/mac80211/mlme.c b/net/mac80211/mlme.c
index d595265d6c22c4a8e618daa17111b28da495836b..0c6e9ef8c7f870b2d6863a902e0b00857978b8fd 100644
--- a/net/mac80211/mlme.c
+++ b/net/mac80211/mlme.c
@@ -2652,3 +2652,10 @@ void ieee80211_cqm_rssi_notify(struct ieee80211_vif *vif,
 	cfg80211_cqm_rssi_notify(sdata->dev, rssi_event, gfp);
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_cqm_rssi_notify);
+
+unsigned char ieee80211_get_operstate(struct ieee80211_vif *vif)
+{
+	struct ieee80211_sub_if_data *sdata = vif_to_sdata(vif);
+	return sdata->dev->operstate;
+}
+EXPORT_SYMBOL(ieee80211_get_operstate);