diff --git a/hostapd/hostapd_cli.c b/hostapd/hostapd_cli.c
index 70629aa65..376a02572 100644
--- a/hostapd/hostapd_cli.c
+++ b/hostapd/hostapd_cli.c
@@ -92,12 +92,6 @@ static int get_cmd_arg_num(const char *str, int pos)
 }
 
 
-static int str_starts(const char *src, const char *match)
-{
-	return os_strncmp(src, match, os_strlen(match)) == 0;
-}
-
-
 static void register_event_handler(struct wpa_ctrl *ctrl)
 {
 	if (!ctrl_conn)
diff --git a/src/ap/wps_hostapd.c b/src/ap/wps_hostapd.c
index faf38c98d..95b40da0f 100644
--- a/src/ap/wps_hostapd.c
+++ b/src/ap/wps_hostapd.c
@@ -269,12 +269,6 @@ static void hostapd_wps_enrollee_seen_cb(void *ctx, const u8 *addr,
 }
 
 
-static int str_starts(const char *str, const char *start)
-{
-	return os_strncmp(str, start, os_strlen(start)) == 0;
-}
-
-
 static void wps_reload_config(void *eloop_data, void *user_ctx)
 {
 	struct hostapd_iface *iface = eloop_data;
diff --git a/src/utils/common.c b/src/utils/common.c
index 985646324..68413b2d4 100644
--- a/src/utils/common.c
+++ b/src/utils/common.c
@@ -1194,3 +1194,9 @@ int ssid_parse(const char *buf, struct wpa_ssid_value *ssid)
 
 	return ssid->ssid_len ? 0 : -1;
 }
+
+
+int str_starts(const char *str, const char *start)
+{
+	return os_strncmp(str, start, os_strlen(start)) == 0;
+}
diff --git a/src/utils/common.h b/src/utils/common.h
index 197e4d1b2..77856774d 100644
--- a/src/utils/common.h
+++ b/src/utils/common.h
@@ -550,6 +550,8 @@ size_t utf8_unescape(const char *inp, size_t in_size,
 		     char *outp, size_t out_size);
 int is_ctrl_char(char c);
 
+int str_starts(const char *str, const char *start);
+
 
 /*
  * gcc 4.4 ends up generating strict-aliasing warnings about some very common
diff --git a/src/wps/wps_upnp_ssdp.c b/src/wps/wps_upnp_ssdp.c
index 968fc03f9..a685ce4c3 100644
--- a/src/wps/wps_upnp_ssdp.c
+++ b/src/wps/wps_upnp_ssdp.c
@@ -100,12 +100,6 @@ static int line_length(const char *l)
 }
 
 
-static int str_starts(const char *str, const char *start)
-{
-	return os_strncmp(str, start, os_strlen(start)) == 0;
-}
-
-
 /***************************************************************************
  * Advertisements.
  * These are multicast to the world to tell them we are here.
diff --git a/wpa_supplicant/wpa_cli.c b/wpa_supplicant/wpa_cli.c
index 30f0bafb1..761421812 100644
--- a/wpa_supplicant/wpa_cli.c
+++ b/wpa_supplicant/wpa_cli.c
@@ -108,12 +108,6 @@ static int get_cmd_arg_num(const char *str, int pos)
 }
 
 
-static int str_starts(const char *src, const char *match)
-{
-	return os_strncmp(src, match, os_strlen(match)) == 0;
-}
-
-
 static int wpa_cli_show_event(const char *event)
 {
 	const char *start;