diff --git a/system/jlib/jtrace.cpp b/system/jlib/jtrace.cpp
index 979e95fb099..8e5fab89106 100644
--- a/system/jlib/jtrace.cpp
+++ b/system/jlib/jtrace.cpp
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ class CTraceManager : implements ITraceManager, public CInterface
     CTraceManager();
     IMPLEMENT_IINTERFACE
 
-    virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags, std::chrono::nanoseconds spanStartTime) const override;
+    virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> spanStartTime, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> spanStartSteadyTime, SpanFlags flags) const override;
     virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, StringArray & httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags) const override;
     virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags) const override;
 
@@ -988,19 +988,16 @@ class CServerSpan : public CSpan
     }
 
 public:
-    CServerSpan(const char * spanName, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags, std::chrono::nanoseconds spanStartTime)
+    CServerSpan(const char * spanName, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> sytemClockStartTime = {}, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> steadyClockStartTime = {})
     : CSpan(spanName)
     {
-        opts.start_system_time = opentelemetry::common::SystemTimestamp(std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::nanoseconds>(spanStartTime));
-        opts.kind = opentelemetry::trace::SpanKind::kServer;
-        setSpanContext(httpHeaders, flags);
-        init(flags);
-        setContextAttributes();
-    }
+        if (sytemClockStartTime.time_since_epoch() != std::chrono::nanoseconds::zero() &&
+            steadyClockStartTime.time_since_epoch() != std::chrono::nanoseconds::zero())
+        {
+            opts.start_system_time = opentelemetry::common::SystemTimestamp(sytemClockStartTime);
+            opts.start_steady_time = opentelemetry::common::SteadyTimestamp(steadyClockStartTime);
+        }
 
-    CServerSpan(const char * spanName, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags)
-    : CSpan(spanName)
-    {
         opts.kind = opentelemetry::trace::SpanKind::kServer;
         setSpanContext(httpHeaders, flags);
         init(flags);
@@ -1047,9 +1044,16 @@ class CServerSpan : public CSpan
 
 //---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
-std::chrono::nanoseconds nowTimesStampInNanos()
+const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> nowSystemClock()
+{
+    const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> nowTimePoint = std::chrono::system_clock::now();
+    return nowTimePoint;
+}
+
+const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> nowSteadyClock()
 {
-    return std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::nanoseconds>(std::chrono::system_clock::now().time_since_epoch());
+    const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> nowTimePoint = std::chrono::steady_clock::now();
+    return nowTimePoint;
 }
 
 IProperties * getClientHeaders(const ISpan * span)
@@ -1355,11 +1359,10 @@ ISpan * CTraceManager::createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * h
     return new CServerSpan(name, httpHeaders, flags);
 }
 
-ISpan * CTraceManager::createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags, std::chrono::nanoseconds spanStartTime) const
+ISpan * CTraceManager::createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> systemClockStartTime, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> steadyClockStartTime, SpanFlags flags = SpanFlags::None) const
 {
-    return new CServerSpan(name, httpHeaders, flags, spanStartTime);
+    return new CServerSpan(name, httpHeaders, flags, systemClockStartTime, steadyClockStartTime);
 }
-
 //---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 MODULE_INIT(INIT_PRIORITY_STANDARD)
diff --git a/system/jlib/jtrace.hpp b/system/jlib/jtrace.hpp
index 0b67664ca2d..bde691313d9 100644
--- a/system/jlib/jtrace.hpp
+++ b/system/jlib/jtrace.hpp
@@ -79,7 +79,8 @@ extern jlib_decl IProperties * getSpanContext(const ISpan * span);
 
 interface ITraceManager : extends IInterface
 {
-    virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags, std::chrono::nanoseconds spanStartTime) const = 0;
+    //virtual ISpan * createDelayedServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, std::chrono::nanoseconds spanStartTime, std::chrono::nanoseconds spanStartSteadyTime = std::chrono::nanoseconds::zero(), SpanFlags flags = SpanFlags::None) const = 0;
+    virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> systemClockStartTime, const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> steadyClockStartTime, SpanFlags flags = SpanFlags::None) const = 0;
     virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, StringArray & httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags = SpanFlags::None) const = 0;
     virtual ISpan * createServerSpan(const char * name, const IProperties * httpHeaders, SpanFlags flags = SpanFlags::None) const = 0;
     virtual bool isTracingEnabled() const = 0;
@@ -88,7 +89,6 @@ interface ITraceManager : extends IInterface
 extern jlib_decl ISpan * getNullSpan();
 extern jlib_decl void initTraceManager(const char * componentName, const IPropertyTree * componentConfig, const IPropertyTree * globalConfig);
 extern jlib_decl ITraceManager & queryTraceManager();
-extern jlib_decl std::chrono::nanoseconds nowTimesStampInNanos();
 /*
 Temporarily disabled due to build issues in certain environments
 #ifdef _USE_CPPUNIT
@@ -100,6 +100,10 @@ extern jlib_decl void testJLogExporterPrintAttributes(StringBuffer & out, const
 #endif
 */
 
+extern jlib_decl const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> nowSystemClock();
+extern jlib_decl const std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> nowSteadyClock();
+
+
 //The following class is responsible for ensuring that the active span is restored in a context when the scope is exited
 //Use a template class so it can be reused for IContextLogger and IEspContext
 template <class CONTEXT>
diff --git a/testing/unittests/jlibtests.cpp b/testing/unittests/jlibtests.cpp
index 80ff5ff19a7..cb2754efdbf 100644
--- a/testing/unittests/jlibtests.cpp
+++ b/testing/unittests/jlibtests.cpp
@@ -191,14 +191,28 @@ class JlibTraceTest : public CppUnit::TestFixture
 
     void testDeclaredSpanStartTime()
     {
-        std::chrono::nanoseconds nownanos = nowTimesStampInNanos();
         Owned<IProperties> emptyMockHTTPHeaders = createProperties();
+        std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::system_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> systemClockTimePoint = {};
+        std::chrono::time_point<std::chrono::steady_clock, std::chrono::nanoseconds> steadyClockTimePoint = {};
 
-        Owned<ISpan> serverSpan = queryTraceManager().createServerSpan("declaredSpanStartSpan", emptyMockHTTPHeaders, SpanFlags::None,  nownanos);
+        {
+            Owned<ISpan> serverSpan = queryTraceManager().createServerSpan("uninitializedStartTimePoints", emptyMockHTTPHeaders, systemClockTimePoint, steadyClockTimePoint);
+            //{ "type": "span", "name": "uninitializedStartTimePoints", "trace_id": "b75d55036323192bf361764a01301742", "span_id": "e20e42d895a165be", "start": 1702430078380386963, "duration": 2075504 }
+        }
 
-        Owned<IProperties> retrievedSpanCtxAttributes = createProperties();
-        bool getSpanCtxSuccess = serverSpan->getSpanContext(retrievedSpanCtxAttributes, false);
-        CPPUNIT_ASSERT_EQUAL_MESSAGE("Unexpected getSpanContext failure detected", true, getSpanCtxSuccess);
+        systemClockTimePoint += std::chrono::milliseconds(1000);
+        steadyClockTimePoint += std::chrono::milliseconds(10);
+        {
+            Owned<ISpan> serverSpan = queryTraceManager().createServerSpan("longAgoStartTimePoints", emptyMockHTTPHeaders, systemClockTimePoint, steadyClockTimePoint);
+            //{ "type": "span", "name": "oldStartTimePoints", "trace_id": "c69b30421fe1bc2284dc1067fe8df65a", "span_id": "e7f8f28943717b65", "start": 1000000000, "duration": 13235212449700 }
+        }
+
+        systemClockTimePoint = nowSystemClock();
+        steadyClockTimePoint = nowSteadyClock() + std::chrono::hours(1);
+        {
+            Owned<ISpan> serverSpan = queryTraceManager().createServerSpan("futureSteadyTimePoint", emptyMockHTTPHeaders, systemClockTimePoint, steadyClockTimePoint);
+            //{ "type": "span", "name": "futureSteadyTimePoint", "trace_id": "3676cdd536686f37da7d39b87b314bc5", "span_id": "c0987a831cb361e0", "start": 1702430699582015756, "duration": -3598764616294 }
+        }
     }
 
     void testTraceDisableConfig()