The Ethereum development team has launched the Mekong testnet to trial updates planned for the upcoming Pectra hard fork.

As a pre-devcon treat, @ethPandaOps just launched a short-lived Pectra testnet: Mekong 🏞️

You can use it to try out EIP-7702, MaxEB consolidations, and more 😄 https://t.co/GVbT9spDr5
— timbeiko.eth (@TimBeiko) November 7, 2024

The primary goal of the Mekong testnet is to test Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) before the update is deployed on the mainnet in the first half of 2025. Key updates include account abstraction, validator changes, and network performance improvements. A significant change involves increasing the maximum staking limit for validators from 32 ETH to 2,048 ETH.

“We may see minor specification changes or the addition of smaller EIPs. All features are expected to make it into existing public testnets like Sepolia and eventually into the mainnet,” the statement reads.

Initially, 20 EIPs were planned for the Pectra update, but this number has been reduced to eight. Mekong is described as a “playground” where wallet developers can test new features, and stakers can familiarize themselves with code and functional changes.

It’s worth noting that Ethereum developers have proposed splitting the Pectra hard fork into two phases, with the first set to activate in early 2025.

Earlier, JPMorgan called the upcoming update a major milestone for Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.