diff --git a/executables/nr-gnb.c b/executables/nr-gnb.c
index 327c01af6a..bc3dccf4fa 100644
--- a/executables/nr-gnb.c
+++ b/executables/nr-gnb.c
@@ -466,7 +466,7 @@ void init_gNB_Tpool(int inst) {
     pushNotifiedFIFO(gNB->L1_tx_free,msgL1Tx); // to unblock the process in the beginning
   }
 
-  if (!get_softmodem_params()->emulate_l1) 
+  if ((!get_softmodem_params()->emulate_l1) && (!IS_SOFTMODEM_NOSTATS_BIT))
      threadCreate(&proc->L1_stats_thread,nrL1_stats_thread,(void*)gNB,"L1_stats",-1,OAI_PRIORITY_RT_LOW);
 
   threadCreate(&proc->pthread_tx_reorder, tx_reorder_thread, (void *)gNB, "thread_tx_reorder", -1, OAI_PRIORITY_RT_MAX);
diff --git a/executables/nr-ue.c b/executables/nr-ue.c
index 01e6c62138..7b39dfdcaa 100644
--- a/executables/nr-ue.c
+++ b/executables/nr-ue.c
@@ -1109,8 +1109,10 @@ void init_NR_UE_threads(int nb_inst) {
 
     LOG_I(PHY,"Intializing UE Threads for instance %d (%p,%p)...\n",inst,PHY_vars_UE_g[inst],PHY_vars_UE_g[inst][0]);
     threadCreate(&threads[inst], UE_thread, (void *)UE, "UEthread", -1, OAI_PRIORITY_RT_MAX);
-    pthread_t stat_pthread;
-    threadCreate(&stat_pthread, nrL1_UE_stats_thread, UE, "L1_UE_stats", -1, OAI_PRIORITY_RT_LOW);
+    if (!IS_SOFTMODEM_NOSTATS_BIT) {
+      pthread_t stat_pthread;
+      threadCreate(&stat_pthread, nrL1_UE_stats_thread, UE, "L1_UE_stats", -1, OAI_PRIORITY_RT_LOW);
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/executables/softmodem-common.c b/executables/softmodem-common.c
index c78fc70243..bf30cab847 100644
--- a/executables/softmodem-common.c
+++ b/executables/softmodem-common.c
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ char *get_softmodem_function(uint64_t *sofmodemfunc_mask_ptr) {
 }
 
 void get_common_options(uint32_t execmask) {
+  int32_t stats_disabled = 0;
   uint32_t online_log_messages=0;
   uint32_t glog_level=0 ;
   uint32_t start_telnetsrv = 0, start_telnetclt = 0;
@@ -149,6 +150,8 @@ void get_common_options(uint32_t execmask) {
 
   if(worker_config != NULL)   set_worker_conf(worker_config);
   nfapi_setmode(nfapi_mode);
+  if (stats_disabled)
+    set_softmodem_optmask(SOFTMODEM_NOSTATS_BIT);
 }
 void softmodem_printresources(int sig, telnet_printfunc_t pf) {
   struct rusage usage;
diff --git a/executables/softmodem-common.h b/executables/softmodem-common.h
index 0310453ca0..a2ba680234 100644
--- a/executables/softmodem-common.h
+++ b/executables/softmodem-common.h
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ extern "C"
 #define CONFIG_HLP_NFAPI         "Change the nFAPI mode for NR\n"
 #define CONFIG_L1_EMULATOR       "Run in L1 emulated mode (disable PHY layer)\n"
 #define CONFIG_HLP_CONTINUOUS_TX "perform continuous transmission, even in TDD mode (to work around USRP issues)\n"
+#define CONFIG_HLP_STATS_DISABLE "disable globally the stats generation and persistence"
 
 /*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------*/
 /*                                            command line parameters common to eNodeB and UE                                                          */
@@ -171,6 +172,7 @@ extern int usrp_tx_thread;
     {"non-stop",             CONFIG_HLP_NONSTOP,      PARAMFLAG_BOOL, iptr:&NON_STOP,                     defintval:0,           TYPE_INT,    0},                     \
     {"emulate-l1",           CONFIG_L1_EMULATOR,      PARAMFLAG_BOOL, iptr:&EMULATE_L1,                   defintval:0,           TYPE_INT,    0},                     \
     {"continuous-tx",        CONFIG_HLP_CONTINUOUS_TX,PARAMFLAG_BOOL, iptr:&CONTINUOUS_TX,                defintval:0,           TYPE_INT,    0},                     \
+    {"disable-stats",        CONFIG_HLP_STATS_DISABLE, PARAMFLAG_BOOL, iptr:&stats_disabled,               defintval:0,           TYPE_INT,    0},                     \
   }
 
 #define CONFIG_HLP_NSA           "Enable NSA mode \n"
@@ -217,6 +219,7 @@ extern int usrp_tx_thread;
 #define SOFTMODEM_GNB_BIT             (1<<21)
 #define SOFTMODEM_4GUE_BIT            (1<<22)
 #define SOFTMODEM_5GUE_BIT            (1<<23)
+#define SOFTMODEM_NOSTATS_BIT         (1<<24)
 #define SOFTMODEM_FUNC_BITS (SOFTMODEM_ENB_BIT | SOFTMODEM_GNB_BIT | SOFTMODEM_5GUE_BIT | SOFTMODEM_4GUE_BIT)
 #define MAPPING_SOFTMODEM_FUNCTIONS {{"enb",SOFTMODEM_ENB_BIT},{"gnb",SOFTMODEM_GNB_BIT},{"4Gue",SOFTMODEM_4GUE_BIT},{"5Gue",SOFTMODEM_5GUE_BIT}}
 
@@ -234,6 +237,7 @@ extern int usrp_tx_thread;
 #define IS_SOFTMODEM_GNB_BIT         ( get_softmodem_optmask() & SOFTMODEM_GNB_BIT)
 #define IS_SOFTMODEM_4GUE_BIT        ( get_softmodem_optmask() & SOFTMODEM_4GUE_BIT)
 #define IS_SOFTMODEM_5GUE_BIT        ( get_softmodem_optmask() & SOFTMODEM_5GUE_BIT)
+#define IS_SOFTMODEM_NOSTATS_BIT     ( get_softmodem_optmask() & SOFTMODEM_NOSTATS_BIT)
 
 typedef struct {
   uint64_t       optmask;
diff --git a/openair2/LAYER2/NR_MAC_gNB/main.c b/openair2/LAYER2/NR_MAC_gNB/main.c
index 9b9fd4e76c..c05af4d4a8 100644
--- a/openair2/LAYER2/NR_MAC_gNB/main.c
+++ b/openair2/LAYER2/NR_MAC_gNB/main.c
@@ -211,8 +211,8 @@ void mac_top_init_gNB(void)
         RC.nrmac[i]->pre_processor_dl = nr_init_fr1_dlsch_preprocessor(i, 0);
         RC.nrmac[i]->pre_processor_ul = nr_init_fr1_ulsch_preprocessor(i, 0);
       }
-      pthread_create(&RC.nrmac[i]->stats_thread,NULL,nrmac_stats_thread,(void*)RC.nrmac[i]);
-
+      if (!IS_SOFTMODEM_NOSTATS_BIT)
+        pthread_create(&RC.nrmac[i]->stats_thread, NULL, nrmac_stats_thread, (void*)RC.nrmac[i]);
     }//END for (i = 0; i < RC.nb_nr_macrlc_inst; i++)
 
     AssertFatal(rlc_module_init(1) == 0,"Could not initialize RLC layer\n");