diff --git a/rmnetctl/cli/rmnetcli.c b/rmnetctl/cli/rmnetcli.c
index 2275ec2..a483c93 100644
--- a/rmnetctl/cli/rmnetcli.c
+++ b/rmnetctl/cli/rmnetcli.c
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 			R M N E T C L I . C
 
-Copyright (c) 2013-2015, The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
+Copyright (c) 2013-2015, 2017 The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
 
 Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
@@ -187,6 +187,13 @@ static void rmnet_api_usage(void)
 	printf(_5TABS" must be less than");
 	printf(_5TABS" 15 chars. Returns");
 	printf(_5TABS" the status code\n\n");
+	printf("rmnetcli newvndname <dev_id> <name_prefix>   Creates");
+	printf(_5TABS" virtual network device node.");
+	printf(_5TABS" dev_id is an int");
+	printf(_5TABS" less than 32. Name");
+	printf(_5TABS" must be less than");
+	printf(_5TABS" 15 chars. Returns");
+	printf(_5TABS" the status code\n\n");
 	printf("rmnetcli getvndname <dev_id>              Get name of");
 	printf(_5TABS" network device node from id\n\n");
 	printf("rmnetcli freevnd <dev_id>              Removes virtual");
@@ -311,6 +318,11 @@ static int rmnet_api_call(int argc, char *argv[])
 		_RMNETCLI_CHECKNULL(argv[2]);
 		return_code = rmnet_new_vnd_prefix(handle,
 		_STRTOUI32(argv[1]), &error_number, RMNETCTL_NEW_VND, argv[2]);
+	} else if (!strcmp(*argv, "newvndname")) {
+		_RMNETCLI_CHECKNULL(argv[1]);
+		_RMNETCLI_CHECKNULL(argv[2]);
+		return_code = rmnet_new_vnd_name(handle,
+		_STRTOUI32(argv[1]), &error_number, argv[2]);
 	} else if (!strcmp(*argv, "newvnd")) {
 		_RMNETCLI_CHECKNULL(argv[1]);
 		return_code = rmnet_new_vnd(handle,
diff --git a/rmnetctl/inc/librmnetctl.h b/rmnetctl/inc/librmnetctl.h
index ff78011..8913cc8 100644
--- a/rmnetctl/inc/librmnetctl.h
+++ b/rmnetctl/inc/librmnetctl.h
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 			  L I B R M N E T C T L . H
 
-Copyright (c) 2013-2015, The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
+Copyright (c) 2013-2015, 2017 The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
 
 Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
@@ -450,6 +450,28 @@ int rmnet_new_vnd_prefix(rmnetctl_hndl_t *hndl,
 			 uint16_t *error_code,
 			 uint8_t new_vnd,
 			 const char *prefix);
+
+/*!
+ * @brief Public API to create a new virtual device node with a custom prefix
+ * @details Message type is RMNET_NETLINK_NEW_VND or
+ * RMNETCTL_FREE_VND based on the flag for new_vnd
+ * @param hndl RmNet handle for the Netlink message
+ * @param id Node number to create the virtual network device node
+ * @param error_code Status code of this operation returned from the kernel
+ * @param new_vnd creates a new virtual network device if  RMNETCTL_NEW_VND or
+ * frees the device if RMNETCTL_FREE_VND
+ * @param name Name to be used when naming the network interface
+ * @return RMNETCTL_SUCCESS if successful
+ * @return RMNETCTL_LIB_ERR if there was a library error. Check error_code
+ * @return RMNETCTL_KERNEL_ERR if there was an error in the kernel.
+ * Check error_code
+ * @return RMNETCTL_INVALID_ARG if invalid arguments were passed to the API
+ */
+int rmnet_new_vnd_name(rmnetctl_hndl_t *hndl,
+			 uint32_t id,
+			 uint16_t *error_code,
+			 const char *name);
+
 /*!
  * @brief API to get the ASCII name of a virtual network device from its ID
  * @param hndl RmNet handle for the Netlink message
diff --git a/rmnetctl/src/librmnetctl.c b/rmnetctl/src/librmnetctl.c
index 95f0510..1cb9930 100644
--- a/rmnetctl/src/librmnetctl.c
+++ b/rmnetctl/src/librmnetctl.c
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 			L I B R M N E T C T L . C
 
-Copyright (c) 2013-2015, The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
+Copyright (c) 2013-2015, 2017 The Linux Foundation. All rights reserved.
 
 Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
@@ -806,6 +806,46 @@ int rmnet_new_vnd_prefix(rmnetctl_hndl_t *hndl,
 	return return_code;
 }
 
+int rmnet_new_vnd_name(rmnetctl_hndl_t *hndl,
+			 uint32_t id,
+			 uint16_t *error_code,
+			 const char *prefix)
+{
+	struct rmnet_nl_msg_s request, response;
+	int return_code = RMNETCTL_LIB_ERR;
+	size_t str_len = 0;
+	do {
+	if ((!hndl) || (!error_code)) {
+		return_code = RMNETCTL_INVALID_ARG;
+		break;
+	}
+
+	memset(request.vnd.vnd_name, 0, RMNET_MAX_STR_LEN);
+		if (prefix) {
+			request.message_type =RMNET_NETLINK_NEW_VND_WITH_NAME;
+			str_len = strlcpy((char *)request.vnd.vnd_name,
+					  prefix, RMNET_MAX_STR_LEN);
+			if (_rmnetctl_check_len(str_len, error_code)
+						!= RMNETCTL_SUCCESS)
+				break;
+		} else {
+			request.message_type = RMNET_NETLINK_NEW_VND;
+		}
+
+	request.arg_length = sizeof(uint32_t);
+	request.vnd.id = id;
+
+	if ((*error_code = rmnetctl_transact(hndl, &request, &response))
+		!= RMNETCTL_SUCCESS)
+		break;
+	if (_rmnetctl_check_code(response.crd, error_code) != RMNETCTL_SUCCESS)
+		break;
+
+	return_code = _rmnetctl_set_codes(response.return_code, error_code);
+	} while(0);
+	return return_code;
+}
+
 int rmnet_new_vnd(rmnetctl_hndl_t *hndl,
 		  uint32_t id,
 		  uint16_t *error_code,