diff --git a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c
index 3bf20625b2..d300d39210 100644
--- a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c
+++ b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.c
@@ -1050,6 +1050,33 @@ monotonic_timestamp_get (struct timespec *tp)
 	}
 }
 
+/**
+ * nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_ns:
+ *
+ * Returns: a monotonically increasing time stamp in nanoseconds,
+ * starting at an unspecified offset. See clock_gettime(), %CLOCK_BOOTTIME.
+ *
+ * The returned value will start counting at an undefined point
+ * in the past and will always be positive.
+ *
+ * All the nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_*s functions return the same
+ * timestamp but in different scales (nsec, usec, msec, sec).
+ **/
+gint64
+nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_ns (void)
+{
+	struct timespec tp;
+
+	monotonic_timestamp_get (&tp);
+
+	/* Although the result will always be positive, we return a signed
+	 * integer, which makes it easier to calculate time differences (when
+	 * you want to subtract signed values).
+	 **/
+	return (((gint64) tp.tv_sec) + monotonic_timestamp_offset_sec) * NM_UTILS_NS_PER_SECOND +
+	       tp.tv_nsec;
+}
+
 /**
  * nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_us:
  *
diff --git a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h
index 18a0d90fee..a09a30e23c 100644
--- a/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h
+++ b/src/NetworkManagerUtils.h
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ NMConnection *nm_utils_match_connection (GSList *connections,
 gint64 nm_utils_ascii_str_to_int64 (const char *str, guint base, gint64 min, gint64 max, gint64 fallback);
 
 #define NM_UTILS_NS_PER_SECOND  ((gint64) 1000000000)
+gint64 nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_ns (void);
 gint64 nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_us (void);
 gint64 nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_ms (void);
 gint32 nm_utils_get_monotonic_timestamp_s (void);