diff --git a/net/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/provider/ProviderService.java b/net/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/provider/ProviderService.java
index 9afbc4b..ae21a61 100644
--- a/net/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/provider/ProviderService.java
+++ b/net/api/src/main/java/org/onlab/onos/net/provider/ProviderService.java
@@ -3,6 +3,16 @@
 /**
  * Abstraction of a service through which providers can inject information
  * about the network environment into the core.
+ *
+ * @param <P> type of the information provider
  */
-public interface ProviderService {
+public interface ProviderService<P extends Provider> {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the provider to which this service has been issued.
+     *
+     * @return provider to which this service has been assigned
+     */
+    P provider();
+
 }