diff --git a/drivers/net/wwan/wwan_core.c b/drivers/net/wwan/wwan_core.c
index ade8bbffc93e..1da935e84008 100644
--- a/drivers/net/wwan/wwan_core.c
+++ b/drivers/net/wwan/wwan_core.c
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ static struct dentry *wwan_debugfs_dir;
  * struct wwan_device - The structure that defines a WWAN device
  *
  * @id: WWAN device unique ID.
+ * @refcount: Reference count of this WWAN device. When this refcount reaches
+ * zero, the device is deleted. NB: access is protected by global
+ * wwan_register_lock mutex.
  * @dev: Underlying device.
  * @ops: wwan device ops
  * @ops_ctxt: context to pass to ops
@@ -49,6 +52,7 @@ static struct dentry *wwan_debugfs_dir;
  */
 struct wwan_device {
 	unsigned int id;
+	int refcount;
 	struct device dev;
 	const struct wwan_ops *ops;
 	void *ops_ctxt;
@@ -222,8 +226,10 @@ static struct wwan_device *wwan_create_dev(struct device *parent)
 
 	/* If wwandev already exists, return it */
 	wwandev = wwan_dev_get_by_parent(parent);
-	if (!IS_ERR(wwandev))
+	if (!IS_ERR(wwandev)) {
+		wwandev->refcount++;
 		goto done_unlock;
+	}
 
 	id = ida_alloc(&wwan_dev_ids, GFP_KERNEL);
 	if (id < 0) {
@@ -242,6 +248,7 @@ static struct wwan_device *wwan_create_dev(struct device *parent)
 	wwandev->dev.class = &wwan_class;
 	wwandev->dev.type = &wwan_dev_type;
 	wwandev->id = id;
+	wwandev->refcount = 1;
 	dev_set_name(&wwandev->dev, "wwan%d", wwandev->id);
 
 	err = device_register(&wwandev->dev);
@@ -263,30 +270,18 @@ static struct wwan_device *wwan_create_dev(struct device *parent)
 	return wwandev;
 }
 
-static int is_wwan_child(struct device *dev, void *data)
-{
-	return dev->class == &wwan_class;
-}
-
 static void wwan_remove_dev(struct wwan_device *wwandev)
 {
-	int ret;
-
 	/* Prevent concurrent picking from wwan_create_dev */
 	mutex_lock(&wwan_register_lock);
 
-	/* WWAN device is created and registered (get+add) along with its first
-	 * child port, and subsequent port registrations only grab a reference
-	 * (get). The WWAN device must then be unregistered (del+put) along with
-	 * its last port, and reference simply dropped (put) otherwise. In the
-	 * same fashion, we must not unregister it when the ops are still there.
-	 */
-	if (wwandev->ops)
-		ret = 1;
-	else
-		ret = device_for_each_child(&wwandev->dev, NULL, is_wwan_child);
+	if (--wwandev->refcount <= 0) {
+		struct device *child = device_find_any_child(&wwandev->dev);
+
+		put_device(child);
+		if (WARN_ON(wwandev->ops || child))	/* Paranoid */
+			goto out_unlock;
 
-	if (!ret) {
 #ifdef CONFIG_WWAN_DEBUGFS
 		debugfs_remove_recursive(wwandev->debugfs_dir);
 #endif
@@ -295,6 +290,7 @@ static void wwan_remove_dev(struct wwan_device *wwandev)
 		put_device(&wwandev->dev);
 	}
 
+out_unlock:
 	mutex_unlock(&wwan_register_lock);
 }