diff --git a/config/settings.local.yaml.tpl b/config/settings.local.yaml.tpl
index d1a54217..9e15f36e 100644
--- a/config/settings.local.yaml.tpl
+++ b/config/settings.local.yaml.tpl
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #    image: "HTTPBIN_IMAGE"
 #  mockserver:
 #    url: "MOCKSERVER_URL"
+#    image: "MOCKSERVER_IMAGE"                  # Image to be used for self-deployed Mockserver
 #  tracing:
 #    backend: "jaeger"                          # Tracing backend
 #    collector_url: "rpc://jaeger-collector.com:4317"  # Tracing collector URL (may be internal)
@@ -48,6 +49,7 @@
 #        api_url: "https://api.kubernetes2.com"
 #        token: "KUADRANT_RULEZ"
 #        kubeconfig_path: "~/.kube/config2"
+#    slow_loadbalancers: false                     # For use in Openshift on AWS: If true, causes all Gateways and LoadBalancer Services to wait longer to become ready
 #    provider_secret: "aws-credentials"            # Name of the Secret resource that contains DNS provider credentials
 #    issuer:                                       # Issuer object for testing TLSPolicy
 #      name: "selfsigned-cluster-issuer"           # Name of Issuer CR
diff --git a/config/settings.yaml b/config/settings.yaml
index 6a87dd2c..7285ea00 100644
--- a/config/settings.yaml
+++ b/config/settings.yaml
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ default:
       password: "testPassword"
   httpbin:
     image: "quay.io/trepel/httpbin:jsmadis"
+  mockserver:
+    image: "quay.io/mganisin/mockserver:latest"
   service_protection:
     system_project: "kuadrant-system"
     project: "kuadrant"
@@ -25,6 +27,7 @@ default:
       log_level: "debug"
   control_plane:
     cluster: {}
+    slow_loadbalancers: false
     provider_secret: "aws-credentials"
     issuer:
       name: "selfsigned-issuer"
diff --git a/testsuite/backend/mockserver.py b/testsuite/backend/mockserver.py
index d4875311..0bcac29a 100644
--- a/testsuite/backend/mockserver.py
+++ b/testsuite/backend/mockserver.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 """Mockserver implementation as Backend"""
 
+from testsuite.config import settings
 from testsuite.backend import Backend
 from testsuite.kubernetes import Selector
 from testsuite.kubernetes.deployment import Deployment, ContainerResources
@@ -15,7 +16,7 @@ def commit(self):
             self.cluster,
             self.name,
             container_name="mockserver",
-            image="quay.io/mganisin/mockserver:latest",
+            image=settings["mockserver"]["image"],
             ports={"api": 1080},
             selector=Selector(matchLabels=match_labels),
             labels={"app": self.label},
@@ -23,7 +24,6 @@ def commit(self):
             lifecycle={"postStart": {"exec": {"command": ["/bin/sh", "init-mockserver"]}}},
         )
         self.deployment.commit()
-        self.deployment.wait_for_ready()
 
         self.service = Service.create_instance(
             self.cluster,
@@ -35,9 +35,7 @@ def commit(self):
         )
         self.service.commit()
 
-    def wait_for_ready(self, timeout=300):
-        """Waits until Deployment is marked as ready"""
-        success = self.service.wait_until(
-            lambda obj: "ip" in self.service.refresh().model.status.loadBalancer.ingress[0], timelimit=timeout
-        )
-        assert success, f"Service {self.name} did not get ready in time"
+    def wait_for_ready(self, timeout=60 * 5):
+        """Waits until Deployment and Service is marked as ready"""
+        self.deployment.wait_for_ready(timeout)
+        self.service.wait_for_ready(timeout, settings["control_plane"]["slow_loadbalancers"])
diff --git a/testsuite/gateway/gateway_api/gateway.py b/testsuite/gateway/gateway_api/gateway.py
index 2fe7ab5a..9db8a220 100644
--- a/testsuite/gateway/gateway_api/gateway.py
+++ b/testsuite/gateway/gateway_api/gateway.py
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 """Module containing all gateway classes"""
 
+from time import sleep
 from typing import Any
 
 import openshift_client as oc
 
+from testsuite.config import settings
 from testsuite.certificates import Certificate
 from testsuite.gateway import Gateway, GatewayListener
 from testsuite.kubernetes.client import KubernetesClient
@@ -69,6 +71,8 @@ def wait_for_ready(self, timeout: int = 10 * 60):
         """Waits for the gateway to be ready in the sense of is_ready(self)"""
         success = self.wait_until(lambda obj: self.__class__(obj.model).is_ready(), timelimit=timeout)
         assert success, "Gateway didn't get ready in time"
+        if settings["control_plane"]["slow_loadbalancers"]:
+            sleep(60)
 
     def is_affected_by(self, policy: Policy) -> bool:
         """Returns True, if affected by status is found within the object for the specific policy"""
diff --git a/testsuite/kubernetes/service.py b/testsuite/kubernetes/service.py
index d2199d36..4ef54f49 100644
--- a/testsuite/kubernetes/service.py
+++ b/testsuite/kubernetes/service.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 """Service related objects"""
 
+from time import sleep
 from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
 from typing import Literal
 
@@ -73,3 +74,16 @@ def delete(self, ignore_not_found=True, cmd_args=None):
         with timeout(10 * 60):
             deleted = super(KubernetesObject, self).delete(ignore_not_found, cmd_args)
             return deleted
+
+    def wait_for_ready(self, timeout=60 * 5, slow_loadbalancers=False):
+        """Waits until LoadBalancer service gets ready."""
+        if self.model.spec.type != "LoadBalancer":
+            return
+        success = self.wait_until(
+            lambda obj: "ip" in self.refresh().model.status.loadBalancer.ingress[0]
+            or "hostname" in self.refresh().model.status.loadBalancer.ingress[0],
+            timelimit=timeout,
+        )
+        assert success, f"Service {self.name} did not get ready in time"
+        if slow_loadbalancers:
+            sleep(60)