diff --git a/cli/operator/node.go b/cli/operator/node.go
index ec23d34bbd..fa7f8b2326 100644
--- a/cli/operator/node.go
+++ b/cli/operator/node.go
@@ -268,7 +268,6 @@ var StartNodeCmd = &cobra.Command{
 			}
 		}
 
-		cfg.P2pNetworkConfig.Metrics = metricsReporter
 		cfg.P2pNetworkConfig.MessageValidator = messageValidator
 		cfg.SSVOptions.ValidatorOptions.MessageValidator = messageValidator
 
diff --git a/network/p2p/config.go b/network/p2p/config.go
index c659b610ea..dec1102418 100644
--- a/network/p2p/config.go
+++ b/network/p2p/config.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
 	"github.com/ssvlabs/ssv/message/validation"
-	"github.com/ssvlabs/ssv/monitoring/metricsreporter"
 	"github.com/ssvlabs/ssv/network"
 	"github.com/ssvlabs/ssv/network/commons"
 	"github.com/ssvlabs/ssv/networkconfig"
@@ -75,8 +74,6 @@ type Config struct {
 	Network networkconfig.NetworkConfig
 	// MessageValidator validates incoming messages.
 	MessageValidator validation.MessageValidator
-	// Metrics report metrics.
-	Metrics metricsreporter.MetricsReporter
 
 	PubsubMsgCacheTTL         time.Duration `yaml:"PubsubMsgCacheTTL" env:"PUBSUB_MSG_CACHE_TTL" env-description:"How long a message ID will be remembered as seen"`
 	PubsubOutQueueSize        int           `yaml:"PubsubOutQueueSize" env:"PUBSUB_OUT_Q_SIZE" env-description:"The size that we assign to the outbound pubsub message queue"`
diff --git a/network/p2p/observability.go b/network/p2p/observability.go
index fcf80bd530..03bdaf9e6f 100644
--- a/network/p2p/observability.go
+++ b/network/p2p/observability.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/attribute"
 	"go.opentelemetry.io/otel/metric"
+	"go.uber.org/zap"
 
 	"github.com/libp2p/go-libp2p/core/peer"
 	"github.com/ssvlabs/ssv/network/peers"
@@ -45,8 +46,9 @@ func metricName(name string) string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s.%s", observabilityNamespace, name)
 }
 
-func recordPeerCount(ctx context.Context, peers []peer.ID) func() {
+func recordPeerCount(ctx context.Context, logger *zap.Logger, peers []peer.ID) func() {
 	return func() {
+		logger.Info("reporting total number of peers", zap.Int("peer_count", len(peers)))
 		peersConnectedGauge.Record(ctx, int64(len(peers)))
 	}
 }
@@ -63,9 +65,10 @@ func recordPeerCountPerTopic(ctx context.Context, ctrl topics.Controller) func()
 	}
 }
 
-func recordPeerIdentities(ctx context.Context, peers []peer.ID, index peers.Index) func() {
+func recordPeerIdentities(ctx context.Context, logger *zap.Logger, peers []peer.ID, index peers.Index) func() {
 	return func() {
 		peersByVersion := make(map[string]int64)
+		logger.Info("reporting peer identities", zap.Int("peer_count", len(peers)))
 		for _, pid := range peers {
 			nodeVersion := "unknown"
 			ni := index.NodeInfo(pid)
diff --git a/network/p2p/p2p.go b/network/p2p/p2p.go
index 26c9274f7f..0870bef58e 100644
--- a/network/p2p/p2p.go
+++ b/network/p2p/p2p.go
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ const (
 	connManagerBalancingInterval       = 3 * time.Minute
 	connManagerBalancingTimeout        = time.Minute
 	peersReportingInterval             = 60 * time.Second
-	peerIdentitiesReportingInterval    = 5 * time.Minute
+	peerIdentitiesReportingInterval    = time.Minute
 	topicsReportingInterval            = 180 * time.Second
 	maximumIrrelevantPeersToDisconnect = 3
 )
@@ -258,14 +258,11 @@ func (n *p2pNetwork) Start(logger *zap.Logger) error {
 
 	async.Interval(n.ctx, connManagerBalancingInterval, n.peersBalancing(logger))
 
-	// don't report metrics in tests
-	if n.cfg.Metrics != nil {
-		async.Interval(n.ctx, peersReportingInterval, recordPeerCount(n.ctx, n.host.Network().Peers()))
+	async.Interval(n.ctx, peersReportingInterval, recordPeerCount(n.ctx, logger, n.host.Network().Peers()))
 
-		async.Interval(n.ctx, peerIdentitiesReportingInterval, recordPeerIdentities(n.ctx, n.host.Network().Peers(), n.idx))
+	async.Interval(n.ctx, peerIdentitiesReportingInterval, recordPeerIdentities(n.ctx, logger, n.host.Network().Peers(), n.idx))
 
-		async.Interval(n.ctx, topicsReportingInterval, recordPeerCountPerTopic(n.ctx, n.topicsCtrl))
-	}
+	async.Interval(n.ctx, topicsReportingInterval, recordPeerCountPerTopic(n.ctx, n.topicsCtrl))
 
 	if err := n.subscribeToSubnets(logger); err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/network/p2p/test_utils.go b/network/p2p/test_utils.go
index 07e6fc58bb..3153b96996 100644
--- a/network/p2p/test_utils.go
+++ b/network/p2p/test_utils.go
@@ -179,7 +179,6 @@ func (ln *LocalNet) NewTestP2pNetwork(ctx context.Context, nodeIndex uint64, key
 	cfg.Ctx = ctx
 	cfg.Subnets = "00000000000000000100000400000400" // calculated for topics 64, 90, 114; PAY ATTENTION for future test scenarios which use more than one eth-validator we need to make this field dynamically changing
 	cfg.NodeStorage = nodeStorage
-	cfg.Metrics = nil
 	cfg.MessageValidator = validation.New(
 		networkconfig.TestNetwork,
 		nodeStorage.ValidatorStore(),