diff --git a/pkg/api/encode_otlp.go b/pkg/api/encode_otlp.go
index 0a9fa8ba8..a2acc36b7 100644
--- a/pkg/api/encode_otlp.go
+++ b/pkg/api/encode_otlp.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ type EncodeOtlpLogs struct {
 
 type EncodeOtlpTraces struct {
 	*OtlpConnectionInfo
+	SpanSplitter []string `yaml:"spanSplitter,omitempty" json:"spanSplitter,omitempty" doc:"separate span for each prefix listed"`
 }
 
 type EncodeOtlpMetrics struct {
diff --git a/pkg/pipeline/encode/opentelemetry/encode_otlptrace.go b/pkg/pipeline/encode/opentelemetry/encode_otlptrace.go
index 54efdfd57..f74f4e770 100644
--- a/pkg/pipeline/encode/opentelemetry/encode_otlptrace.go
+++ b/pkg/pipeline/encode/opentelemetry/encode_otlptrace.go
@@ -19,16 +19,15 @@ package opentelemetry
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/netobserv/flowlogs-pipeline/pkg/api"
 	"github.com/netobserv/flowlogs-pipeline/pkg/config"
 	"github.com/netobserv/flowlogs-pipeline/pkg/operational"
 	"github.com/netobserv/flowlogs-pipeline/pkg/pipeline/encode"
 	log "github.com/sirupsen/logrus"
-	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/resource"
 	sdktrace "go.opentelemetry.io/otel/sdk/trace"
-	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/trace"
 )
 
 const (
@@ -37,20 +36,52 @@ const (
 )
 
 type EncodeOtlpTrace struct {
-	cfg    api.EncodeOtlpTraces
-	ctx    context.Context
-	res    *resource.Resource
-	tp     *sdktrace.TracerProvider
-	tracer trace.Tracer
+	cfg api.EncodeOtlpTraces
+	ctx context.Context
+	res *resource.Resource
+	tp  *sdktrace.TracerProvider
 }
 
 // Encode encodes a metric to be exported
-func (e *EncodeOtlpTrace) Encode(metricRecord config.GenericMap) {
-	log.Tracef("entering EncodeOtlpTrace. entry = %v", metricRecord)
-	_, span := e.tracer.Start(e.ctx, flpEncodeSpanName)
-	defer span.End()
-	attributes := obtainAttributesFromEntry(metricRecord)
-	span.SetAttributes(*attributes...)
+func (e *EncodeOtlpTrace) Encode(entry config.GenericMap) {
+	log.Tracef("entering EncodeOtlpTrace. entry = %v", entry)
+	tr := e.tp.Tracer(flpTracerName)
+	ll := len(e.cfg.SpanSplitter)
+	newCtx, span0 := tr.Start(e.ctx, flpEncodeSpanName)
+	attributes := obtainAttributesFromEntry(entry)
+	span0.SetAttributes(*attributes...)
+	span0.End()
+	if ll == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	// for each item in SpanSplitter, make a separate entry for each listed item
+	// do not include fields that belong exclusively to other items
+	ss := e.cfg.SpanSplitter
+	records := make([]config.GenericMap, ll)
+	for i := 0; i < ll; i++ {
+		records[i] = make(config.GenericMap)
+	}
+OUTER:
+	for key, value := range entry {
+		for i := 0; i < ll; i++ {
+			if strings.HasPrefix(key, ss[i]) {
+				trimmed := strings.TrimPrefix(key, ss[i])
+				records[i][trimmed] = value
+				continue OUTER
+			}
+		}
+		// if we reach here, the field did not have any of the prefixes.
+		// copy it into each of the records
+		for i := 0; i < ll; i++ {
+			records[i][key] = value
+		}
+	}
+	for i := 0; i < ll; i++ {
+		_, span := tr.Start(newCtx, ss[i])
+		attributes := obtainAttributesFromEntry(records[i])
+		span.SetAttributes(*attributes...)
+		span.End()
+	}
 }
 
 func NewEncodeOtlpTraces(opMetrics *operational.Metrics, params config.StageParam) (encode.Encoder, error) {
@@ -63,7 +94,6 @@ func NewEncodeOtlpTraces(opMetrics *operational.Metrics, params config.StagePara
 
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	res := newResource()
-	tracer := otel.Tracer(flpTracerName)
 
 	tp, err := NewOtlpTracerProvider(ctx, params, res)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -71,11 +101,10 @@ func NewEncodeOtlpTraces(opMetrics *operational.Metrics, params config.StagePara
 	}
 
 	w := &EncodeOtlpTrace{
-		cfg:    cfg,
-		ctx:    ctx,
-		res:    res,
-		tp:     tp,
-		tracer: tracer,
+		cfg: cfg,
+		ctx: ctx,
+		res: res,
+		tp:  tp,
 	}
 	return w, nil
 }