diff --git a/sys/include/posix_io.h b/sys/include/posix_io.h
deleted file mode 100644
index 0f4e998b4..000000000
--- a/sys/include/posix_io.h
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,92 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright (C) 2013  INRIA.
- *
- * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser
- * General Public License v2.1. See the file LICENSE in the top level
- * directory for more details.
- */
-
-/**
- * @ingroup     posix
- * @{
- * @file
- * @brief       POSIX-like IO
- *
- * @author      Kaspar Schleiser <kaspar@schleiser.de>
- * @author      Stephan Zeisberg <zeisberg@mi.fu-berlin.de>
- * @author      Oliver Hahm <oleg@hobbykeller.org>
- * @author      Martine Lenders <mlenders@inf.fu-berlin.de>
- */
-#ifndef __READ_H
-#define __READ_H
-
-#include "kernel_types.h"
-
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-extern "C" {
-#endif
-
-#define OPEN 0
-#define CLOSE 1
-#define READ 2
-#define WRITE 3
-
-/**
- * @brief POSIX IO ringbuffer
- */
-struct posix_iop_t {
-    /** number of bytes */
-    int nbytes;
-    /** array for the ringbuffer */
-    char *buffer;
-};
-
-/**
- * @brief Opens a file descriptor - represented by a corresponding thread
- *
- * @param[in] pid   The thread managing the fd to open
- * @param[in] flags Access modes
- *
- * @return 0 on success
- * @return a negative value in error case
- */
-int posix_open(int pid, int flags);
-
-/**
- * @brief Closes an open file descriptor
- *
- * @param[in] pid   The opened thread
- *
- * @return 0 on success
- * @return a negative value in error case
- */
-int posix_close(int pid);
-
-/**
- * @brief Reads from an open file descriptor
- *
- * @param[in]  pid      The thread managing the open fd
- * @param[out] buffer   Buffer to fill
- * @param[in]  bufsize  Read up to that many bytes into @p buffer
- *
- * @return the number of read bytes
- */
-int posix_read(int pid, char *buffer, int bufsize);
-
-/**
- * @brief Writes to an open file descriptor
- *
- * @param[in] pid      The thread managing the open fd
- * @param[in] buffer   Buffer to write
- * @param[in] bufsize  Write that many bytes from @p buffer
- *
- * @return the number of written bytes
- */
-int posix_write(int pid, char *buffer, int bufsize);
-
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-}
-#endif
-
-/** @} */
-#endif /* __READ_H */
diff --git a/sys/posix/fd.c b/sys/posix/fd.c
index 9a1580e73..391e4eca9 100644
--- a/sys/posix/fd.c
+++ b/sys/posix/fd.c
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
-#include "posix_io.h"
 #include "unistd.h"
 
 #include "fd.h"
diff --git a/sys/posix/posix_io.c b/sys/posix/posix_io.c
deleted file mode 100644
index d67ee6c55..000000000
--- a/sys/posix/posix_io.c
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,69 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * POSIX implementation of basic IO operations.
- *
- * Copyright (C) 2013, INRIA.
- *
- * This file is subject to the terms and conditions of the GNU Lesser
- * General Public License v2.1. See the file LICENSE in the top level
- * directory for more details.
- *
- * @ingroup sys_posix
- * @{
- * @file
- * @brief   Implementation of basic POSIX IO functionality.
- * @author  Kaspar Schleiser <kaspar@schleiser.de>
- * @}
- */
-
-#include "thread.h"
-#include "msg.h"
-
-#include "posix_io.h"
-
-
-static int _posix_fileop(kernel_pid_t pid, int op, int flags)
-{
-    msg_t m;
-    m.type = op;
-    m.content.value = flags;
-    msg_send_receive(&m, &m, pid);
-    return m.content.value;
-}
-
-static int _posix_fileop_data(kernel_pid_t pid, int op, char *buffer, int nbytes)
-{
-    struct posix_iop_t r;
-    r.nbytes = nbytes;
-    r.buffer = buffer;
-
-    msg_t m;
-    m.type = op;
-    m.content.ptr = (char *) &r;
-
-    msg_send_receive(&m, &m, pid);
-
-    return r.nbytes;
-}
-
-int posix_open(int pid, int flags)
-{
-    if (pid == KERNEL_PID_UNDEF) {
-        return -1;
-    }
-    return _posix_fileop((kernel_pid_t) pid, OPEN, flags);
-}
-
-int posix_close(int pid)
-{
-    return _posix_fileop((kernel_pid_t) pid, CLOSE, 0);
-}
-
-int posix_read(int pid, char *buffer, int bufsize)
-{
-    return _posix_fileop_data((kernel_pid_t) pid, READ, buffer, bufsize);
-}
-
-int posix_write(int pid, char *buffer, int bufsize)
-{
-    return _posix_fileop_data((kernel_pid_t) pid, WRITE, buffer, bufsize);
-}