Ethereum developers have confirmed key test dates for the long-awaited Pectra upgrade, bringing the blockchain closer to its first major update in nearly a year.
If planned testing on the Holesky and Sepolia testnets proceeds as expected, developers anticipate the upgrade will go live on the mainnet in early April.
During their latest All Core Developers call, Ethereum’s core builders scheduled Pectra’s first test for Feb. 26 on the Holesky testnet, followed by a second trial on the Sepolia testnet on March 5.
If these tests run smoothly, developers will reconvene on March 6 to finalize a mainnet activation date. Tim Beiko, protocol support lead at the Ethereum Foundation, indicated that early April is the most likely target.
Anticipated changes
Pectra, a hybrid of the Prague and Electra upgrades, introduces eight Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at enhancing wallet functionality and validator efficiency.
One of the most anticipated changes, EIP-7702, is designed to simplify the user experience by allowing externally owned accounts, which include most crypto wallets, to function more like smart contracts.
The improvement is part of a broader push toward account abstraction, a blockchain trend that seeks to make wallets more flexible by enabling users to pay transaction fees with assets other than ETH.
Another significant update, EIP-7251, increases the validator staking limit from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH. This change is expected to ease network congestion by allowing large validators to consolidate operations and reduce the long queues currently required to set up new nodes.
Challenging landscape
The Pectra upgrade comes at a time of heightened scrutiny for Ethereum amid its underperformance against Bitcoin and competing smart contract networks. Rivals like Solana have gained momentum in recent months, drawing attention and talent away from Ethereum’s ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the Ethereum Foundation is also undergoing a major leadership transition, adding further uncertainty about the project’s long-term direction. The foundation has also faced criticism in recent months for selling Ethereum, especially amid market downturns.
With Pectra, developers hope to reaffirm Ethereum’s dominance as the leading smart contract blockchain. If all goes according to plan, the upgrade could reinforce Ethereum’s technical edge and improve user adoption, addressing some of the network’s biggest pain points.
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