diff --git a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Core.verified.txt b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Core.verified.txt
index df6b1461b8e..d0a6f9ed54c 100644
--- a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Core.verified.txt
+++ b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Core.verified.txt
@@ -3378,6 +3378,7 @@ namespace Akka.IO
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index) { }
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index, int count) { }
         public byte[] ToArray() { }
+        public System.ReadOnlySpan<byte> ToReadOnlySpan() { }
         public override string ToString() { }
         public string ToString(System.Text.Encoding encoding) { }
         public void WriteTo(System.IO.Stream stream) { }
diff --git a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.DotNet.verified.txt b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.DotNet.verified.txt
index 104827f2cf0..c8dcb164155 100644
--- a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.DotNet.verified.txt
+++ b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.DotNet.verified.txt
@@ -3796,6 +3796,7 @@ namespace Akka.IO
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index) { }
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index, int count) { }
         public byte[] ToArray() { }
+        public System.ReadOnlySpan<byte> ToReadOnlySpan() { }
         public override string ToString() { }
         public string ToString(System.Text.Encoding encoding) { }
         public void WriteTo(System.IO.Stream stream) { }
diff --git a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Net.verified.txt b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Net.verified.txt
index 9b8a28e3d35..d1553938cc4 100644
--- a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Net.verified.txt
+++ b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.Net.verified.txt
@@ -3786,6 +3786,7 @@ namespace Akka.IO
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index) { }
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index, int count) { }
         public byte[] ToArray() { }
+        public System.ReadOnlySpan<byte> ToReadOnlySpan() { }
         public override string ToString() { }
         public string ToString(System.Text.Encoding encoding) { }
         public void WriteTo(System.IO.Stream stream) { }
diff --git a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.verified.txt b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.verified.txt
index 280340c6f21..8bdae5a5617 100644
--- a/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.verified.txt
+++ b/src/core/Akka.API.Tests/verify/CoreAPISpec.ApproveCore.verified.txt
@@ -3341,6 +3341,7 @@ namespace Akka.IO
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index) { }
         public Akka.IO.ByteString Slice(int index, int count) { }
         public byte[] ToArray() { }
+        public System.ReadOnlySpan<byte> ToReadOnlySpan() { }
         public override string ToString() { }
         public string ToString(System.Text.Encoding encoding) { }
         public void WriteTo(System.IO.Stream stream) { }
diff --git a/src/core/Akka.Tests/Util/ByteStringSpec.cs b/src/core/Akka.Tests/Util/ByteStringSpec.cs
index 9605b2698c5..053cf6bbd43 100644
--- a/src/core/Akka.Tests/Util/ByteStringSpec.cs
+++ b/src/core/Akka.Tests/Util/ByteStringSpec.cs
@@ -5,9 +5,12 @@
 // </copyright>
 //-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+using System;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Text;
 using Akka.IO;
+using Akka.TestKit;
 using FluentAssertions;
 using FsCheck;
 using Xunit;
@@ -42,6 +45,59 @@ public void A_ByteString_must_have_correct_size_when_concatenating()
                 .QuickCheckThrowOnFailure();
         }
 
+        [Fact]
+        public void A_ByteString_ToReadOnlySpan_must_have_correct_size()
+        {
+            Prop.ForAll((ByteString a, ByteString b) =>
+            {
+                a.ToReadOnlySpan().Length.Should().Be(a.Count);
+                b.ToReadOnlySpan().Length.Should().Be(b.Count);
+                var concat = a + b;
+                var spanConcat = concat.ToReadOnlySpan();
+                return spanConcat.Length == concat.Count;
+            }).QuickCheckThrowOnFailure();
+        }
+
+        [Fact]
+        public void A_ByteString_Compact_ToReadOnlySpan_must_have_identical_memory_ref()
+        {
+            var bytes = new byte[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 };
+            var a = ByteString.FromBytes(bytes);
+            var aSpan = a.ToReadOnlySpan();
+            
+            var memory = new ReadOnlyMemory<byte>(bytes);
+            var spanMemory = memory.Span;
+
+            // span has memory reference to underlying byte array 
+            (aSpan == spanMemory).Should().BeTrue();
+            
+            // Do another ToReadOnlySpan
+            var span2 = a.ToReadOnlySpan();
+            (aSpan == span2).Should().BeTrue();
+        }
+        
+        [Fact]
+        public void A_ByteString_ToReadOnlySpan_compacted_must_have_identical_memory_ref()
+        {
+            var bytesA = new byte[] { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 };
+            var bytesB = new byte[] { 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 };
+            var a = ByteString.FromBytes(bytesA);
+            var b = ByteString.FromBytes(bytesB);
+            
+            var concat = a + b;
+            
+            var concatSpan = concat.ToReadOnlySpan();
+            var concatSpan2 = concat.ToReadOnlySpan();
+            // not compact, returns a new span
+            (concatSpan == concatSpan2).Should().BeFalse();
+
+            // compact, will return same span
+            var compacted = concat.Compact();
+            var concatSpan3 = compacted.ToReadOnlySpan();
+            var concatSpan4 = compacted.ToReadOnlySpan();
+            (concatSpan3 == concatSpan4).Should().BeTrue();
+        }
+
         [Fact]
         public void A_ByteString_must_have_correct_size_when_slicing_from_index()
         {
diff --git a/src/core/Akka/Util/ByteString.cs b/src/core/Akka/Util/ByteString.cs
index 096725579d8..46436cfc747 100644
--- a/src/core/Akka/Util/ByteString.cs
+++ b/src/core/Akka/Util/ByteString.cs
@@ -507,6 +507,27 @@ public byte[] ToArray()
             CopyTo(copy, 0, _count);
             return copy;
         }
+        
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Returns a ReadOnlySpan<byte/> over the contents of this ByteString.
+        /// This is a non-copying operation, when the ByteString is compact.
+        /// When it is not compact, the contents are copied into a new array.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <returns>A ReadOnlySpan<byte/> over the byte data.</returns>
+        public ReadOnlySpan<byte> ToReadOnlySpan()
+        {
+            if (_count == 0)
+                return ReadOnlySpan<byte>.Empty;
+        
+            if (IsCompact)
+            {
+                // If compact, data is in a single buffer.
+                var compactBuffer = _buffers[0];
+                return new ReadOnlySpan<byte>(compactBuffer.Array, compactBuffer.Offset, compactBuffer.Count);
+            }
+           
+            return new ReadOnlySpan<byte>(ToArray());
+        }
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Appends <paramref name="other"/> <see cref="ByteString"/> at the tail