diff --git a/changelogs/current.yaml b/changelogs/current.yaml
index 9ecf0d6e48ce..ba316d2be54e 100644
--- a/changelogs/current.yaml
+++ b/changelogs/current.yaml
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@ minor_behavior_changes:
 
 bug_fixes:
 # *Changes expected to improve the state of the world and are unlikely to have negative effects*
+- area: tracers
+  change: |
+    use unary RPC calls for OpenTelemetry trace exports, rather than client-side streaming connections.
 
 removed_config_or_runtime:
 # *Normally occurs at the end of the* :ref:`deprecation period <deprecated>`
diff --git a/source/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter.h b/source/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter.h
index ecfc4baaa27e..b35823b851ba 100644
--- a/source/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter.h
+++ b/source/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter.h
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ class OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterClient : Logger::Loggable<Logger::Id::tracin
       if (stream_->stream_->isAboveWriteBufferHighWatermark()) {
         return false;
       }
-      stream_->stream_->sendMessage(request, false);
+      stream_->stream_->sendMessage(request, true);
     } else {
       stream_.reset();
     }
diff --git a/test/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter_test.cc b/test/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter_test.cc
index e4da244ae3c6..84db740d5ebf 100644
--- a/test/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter_test.cc
+++ b/test/extensions/tracers/opentelemetry/grpc_trace_exporter_test.cc
@@ -24,24 +24,24 @@ class OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest : public testing::Test {
       opentelemetry::proto::collector::trace::v1::ExportTraceServiceResponse>;
 
   OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest() : async_client_(new Grpc::MockAsyncClient) {
-    expectStreamStart();
+    expectTraceExportStart();
   }
 
-  void expectStreamStart() {
+  void expectTraceExportStart() {
     EXPECT_CALL(*async_client_, startRaw(_, _, _, _))
         .WillOnce(
             Invoke([this](absl::string_view, absl::string_view, Grpc::RawAsyncStreamCallbacks& cbs,
                           const Http::AsyncClient::StreamOptions&) {
               this->callbacks_ = dynamic_cast<TraceCallbacks*>(&cbs);
-              return &this->stream_;
+              return &this->conn_;
             }));
   }
 
-  void expectStreamMessage(const std::string& expected_message_yaml) {
+  void expectTraceExportMessage(const std::string& expected_message_yaml) {
     opentelemetry::proto::collector::trace::v1::ExportTraceServiceRequest expected_message;
     TestUtility::loadFromYaml(expected_message_yaml, expected_message);
-    EXPECT_CALL(stream_, isAboveWriteBufferHighWatermark()).WillOnce(Return(false));
-    EXPECT_CALL(stream_, sendMessageRaw_(_, false))
+    EXPECT_CALL(conn_, isAboveWriteBufferHighWatermark()).WillOnce(Return(false));
+    EXPECT_CALL(conn_, sendMessageRaw_(_, true))
         .WillOnce(Invoke([expected_message](Buffer::InstancePtr& request, bool) {
           opentelemetry::proto::collector::trace::v1::ExportTraceServiceRequest message;
           Buffer::ZeroCopyInputStreamImpl request_stream(std::move(request));
@@ -52,14 +52,14 @@ class OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest : public testing::Test {
 
 protected:
   Grpc::MockAsyncClient* async_client_;
-  Grpc::MockAsyncStream stream_;
+  Grpc::MockAsyncStream conn_;
   TraceCallbacks* callbacks_;
 };
 
 TEST_F(OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest, CreateExporterAndExportSpan) {
   OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporter exporter(Grpc::RawAsyncClientPtr{async_client_});
 
-  expectStreamMessage(R"EOF(
+  expectTraceExportMessage(R"EOF(
     resource_spans:
       scope_spans:
         - spans:
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ TEST_F(OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest, CreateExporterAndExportSpan) {
 TEST_F(OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest, NoExportWithHighWatermark) {
   OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporter exporter(Grpc::RawAsyncClientPtr{async_client_});
 
-  EXPECT_CALL(stream_, isAboveWriteBufferHighWatermark()).WillOnce(Return(true));
-  EXPECT_CALL(stream_, sendMessageRaw_(_, false)).Times(0);
+  EXPECT_CALL(conn_, isAboveWriteBufferHighWatermark()).WillOnce(Return(true));
+  EXPECT_CALL(conn_, sendMessageRaw_(_, false)).Times(0);
   opentelemetry::proto::collector::trace::v1::ExportTraceServiceRequest request;
   opentelemetry::proto::trace::v1::Span span;
   span.set_name("tests");
@@ -93,25 +93,25 @@ TEST_F(OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest, ExportWithRemoteClose) {
           - name: "test"
   )EOF";
 
-  expectStreamMessage(request_yaml);
+  expectTraceExportMessage(request_yaml);
   opentelemetry::proto::collector::trace::v1::ExportTraceServiceRequest request;
   opentelemetry::proto::trace::v1::Span span;
   span.set_name("test");
   *request.add_resource_spans()->add_scope_spans()->add_spans() = span;
   EXPECT_TRUE(exporter.log(request));
 
-  // Close the stream, now that we've created it.
+  // Terminate the request, now that we've created it.
   callbacks_->onRemoteClose(Grpc::Status::Internal, "bad");
 
-  // Second call should make a new stream.
-  expectStreamStart();
-  expectStreamMessage(request_yaml);
+  // Second call should make a new request.
+  expectTraceExportStart();
+  expectTraceExportMessage(request_yaml);
   EXPECT_TRUE(exporter.log(request));
 }
 
 TEST_F(OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporterTest, ExportWithNoopCallbacks) {
   OpenTelemetryGrpcTraceExporter exporter(Grpc::RawAsyncClientPtr{async_client_});
-  expectStreamMessage(R"EOF(
+  expectTraceExportMessage(R"EOF(
     resource_spans:
       scope_spans:
         - spans: