diff --git a/Kconfig b/Kconfig
index 82df59f176e..758256ab121 100644
--- a/Kconfig
+++ b/Kconfig
@@ -747,6 +747,8 @@ source "env/Kconfig"
 
 source "net/Kconfig"
 
+source "net-lwip/Kconfig"
+
 source "drivers/Kconfig"
 
 source "fs/Kconfig"
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 79b28c2d81f..3df9c45a17c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ libs-$(CONFIG_OF_EMBED) += dts/
 libs-y += env/
 libs-y += lib/
 libs-y += fs/
-libs-y += net/
+libs-$(CONFIG_NET) += net/
 libs-y += disk/
 libs-y += drivers/
 libs-$(CONFIG_SYS_FSL_DDR) += drivers/ddr/fsl/
diff --git a/common/Kconfig b/common/Kconfig
index 5e3070e9253..807b726384d 100644
--- a/common/Kconfig
+++ b/common/Kconfig
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ config LOGF_FUNC_PAD
 
 config LOG_SYSLOG
 	bool "Log output to syslog server"
-	depends on NET
+	depends on NET || NET_LWIP
 	help
 	  Enables a log driver which broadcasts log records via UDP port 514
 	  to syslog servers.
diff --git a/common/spl/Kconfig b/common/spl/Kconfig
index 6405374bcc1..f67f0a859db 100644
--- a/common/spl/Kconfig
+++ b/common/spl/Kconfig
@@ -1055,6 +1055,7 @@ config SPL_DM_SPI_FLASH
 
 config SPL_NET
 	bool "Support networking"
+	depends on !NET_LWIP
 	help
 	  Enable support for network devices (such as Ethernet) in SPL.
 	  This permits SPL to load U-Boot over a network link rather than
diff --git a/drivers/dfu/Kconfig b/drivers/dfu/Kconfig
index 0360d9da142..c6bce82eb10 100644
--- a/drivers/dfu/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/dfu/Kconfig
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ config DFU_OVER_USB
 
 config DFU_OVER_TFTP
 	bool
-	depends on NET
+	depends on NET && !NET_LWIP
 
 if DFU
 config DFU_WRITE_ALT
diff --git a/drivers/fastboot/Kconfig b/drivers/fastboot/Kconfig
index 70207573de2..05e988166fb 100644
--- a/drivers/fastboot/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/fastboot/Kconfig
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ config USB_FUNCTION_FASTBOOT
 	  This enables the USB part of the fastboot gadget.
 
 config UDP_FUNCTION_FASTBOOT
-	depends on NET
+	depends on NET || NET_LWIP
 	select FASTBOOT
 	bool "Enable fastboot protocol over UDP"
 	help
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ config UDP_FUNCTION_FASTBOOT_PORT
 	  The fastboot protocol requires a UDP port number.
 
 config TCP_FUNCTION_FASTBOOT
-	depends on NET
+	depends on NET || NET_LWIP
 	select FASTBOOT
 	bool "Enable fastboot protocol over TCP"
 	help
diff --git a/drivers/net/phy/Kconfig b/drivers/net/phy/Kconfig
index 3d96938eaba..738752d29c2 100644
--- a/drivers/net/phy/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/net/phy/Kconfig
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ config MV88E6352_SWITCH
 
 menuconfig PHYLIB
 	bool "Ethernet PHY (physical media interface) support"
-	depends on NET
+	depends on NET || NET_LWIP
 	help
 	  Enable Ethernet PHY (physical media interface) support.
 
diff --git a/drivers/usb/gadget/Kconfig b/drivers/usb/gadget/Kconfig
index 4621a6fd5e6..03fe3bca197 100644
--- a/drivers/usb/gadget/Kconfig
+++ b/drivers/usb/gadget/Kconfig
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ endif # USB_GADGET_DOWNLOAD
 
 config USB_ETHER
 	bool "USB Ethernet Gadget"
-	depends on NET
+	depends on NET || NET_LWIP
 	default y if ARCH_SUNXI && USB_MUSB_GADGET
 	help
 	  Creates an Ethernet network device through a USB peripheral
diff --git a/net-lwip/Kconfig b/net-lwip/Kconfig
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f8e0481964f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/net-lwip/Kconfig
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+#
+# Network configuration (with lwIP stack)
+#
+
+menuconfig NET_LWIP
+	bool "Networking support (lwIP stack) -- EXPERIMENTAL"
+	help
+	  Include networking support based on the lwIP (lightweight IP)
+	  TCP/IP stack (https://nongnu.org/lwip). This is a replacement for
+	  the default U-Boot network stack and applications located in net/
+	  and enabled via CONFIG_NET as well as other pieces of code that
+	  depend on CONFIG_NET (such as cmd/net.c enabled via CONFIG_CMD_NET).
+	  Therefore the two symbols CONFIG_NET and CONFIG_NET_LWIP are mutually
+	  exclusive.
+	  NOTE: This is currently a placeholder.
diff --git a/net/Kconfig b/net/Kconfig
index 5dff6336293..04b81dd4976 100644
--- a/net/Kconfig
+++ b/net/Kconfig
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ menuconfig NET
 	bool "Networking support"
 	default y
 	imply NETDEVICES
+	depends on !NET_LWIP
 
 if NET
 
