diff --git a/openbsc/include/openbsc/ipaccess.h b/openbsc/include/openbsc/ipaccess.h
index 8c12e59cc..dbd9f37e8 100644
--- a/openbsc/include/openbsc/ipaccess.h
+++ b/openbsc/include/openbsc/ipaccess.h
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ int ipaccess_connect(struct e1inp_line *line, struct sockaddr_in *sa);
 int ipaccess_rcvmsg_base(struct msgb *msg, struct bsc_fd *bfd);
 struct msgb *ipaccess_read_msg(struct bsc_fd *bfd, int *error);
 void ipaccess_prepend_header(struct msgb *msg, int proto);
+int ipaccess_send_id_ack(int fd);
 
 /*
  * Firmware specific header
diff --git a/openbsc/src/input/ipaccess.c b/openbsc/src/input/ipaccess.c
index 90d7cea85..6c7ab03ac 100644
--- a/openbsc/src/input/ipaccess.c
+++ b/openbsc/src/input/ipaccess.c
@@ -164,6 +164,12 @@ static int parse_unitid(const char *str, u_int16_t *site_id, u_int16_t *bts_id,
 	return 0;
 }
 
+/* send the id ack */
+int ipaccess_send_id_ack(int fd)
+{
+	return write(fd, id_ack, sizeof(id_ack));
+}
+
 /* base handling of the ip.access protocol */
 int ipaccess_rcvmsg_base(struct msgb *msg,
 			 struct bsc_fd *bfd)
@@ -180,7 +186,7 @@ int ipaccess_rcvmsg_base(struct msgb *msg,
 		break;
 	case IPAC_MSGT_ID_ACK:
 		DEBUGP(DMI, "ID_ACK? -> ACK!\n");
-		ret = write(bfd->fd, id_ack, sizeof(id_ack));
+		ret = ipaccess_send_id_ack(bfd->fd);
 		break;
 	}
 	return 0;