diff --git a/lib_com/options.h b/lib_com/options.h
index c4e5186e5a06105a99b5a7d3e16453a1aefca926..7e2678dda5175766c8155882e473f46978ff8cbb 100644
--- a/lib_com/options.h
+++ b/lib_com/options.h
@@ -169,6 +169,8 @@
 /* all switches in this category should start with "NONBE_" */
 
 #define NONBE_FIX_GSC_BSTR                              /* VA: issue 1264: Fix bitstream synchronization between encoder and decoder in ACELP GSC in OMASA */
+#define NONBE_1273_ISM_METADATA_COUNTER                 /* VA: issue 1273: fix counter overflow in ISM metadata encoder */
+
 
 /* ##################### End NON-BE switches ########################### */
 
diff --git a/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c b/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c
index c7b991e2f67912cc3472d0e489917bf779f53d8f..b27235ae4b711057f1ae751f708d242c9e677619 100644
--- a/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c
+++ b/lib_enc/ivas_ism_metadata_enc.c
@@ -276,7 +276,9 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_metadata_enc(
                         }
                         else if ( hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc == ISM_MD_FEC_CNT_MAX )
                         {
-
+#ifdef NONBE_1273_ISM_METADATA_COUNTER
+                            hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc = 0;
+#endif
                             lowrate_metadata_flag[ch] = 1;
 
                             hIsmMeta[ch]->position_angle.angle1_diff_cnt = ISM_FEC_MAX;
@@ -556,6 +558,9 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_metadata_enc(
                 if ( hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_metadata_flag == 0 )
                 {
                     hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc++;
+#ifdef NONBE_1273_ISM_METADATA_COUNTER
+                    hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc = min( hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc, ISM_MD_FEC_CNT_MAX );
+#endif
                 }
                 else
                 {
@@ -700,6 +705,9 @@ ivas_error ivas_ism_metadata_enc(
         if ( hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_metadata_flag == 0 )
         {
             hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc++;
+#ifdef NONBE_1273_ISM_METADATA_COUNTER
+            hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc = min( hIsmMeta[ch]->ism_md_fec_cnt_enc, ISM_MD_FEC_CNT_MAX );
+#endif
         }
         else
         {