Zcash’s 25-second blocks go live on public testnet ahead of schedule

Zcash's network upgrade, NU7, is now live on the public testnet. This upgrade aims to reduce the target block time from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. According to Cointelegraph, the activation occurred on October 4 at 18:21:45 UTC at block 4,465,026.

The testnet phase allows developers to assess the upgrade, including the new block time and a Network Sustainability Mechanism that redirects part of transaction fees into future block rewards. This mechanism also disables version 4 transactions, which will leave ZEC held in Zcash's legacy Sprout shielded pool unspendable unless users move the funds before NU7 fully activates.

The Zcash Foundation has encouraged testnet operators to use the release candidate to test NU7 "under real conditions." A final decision on mainnet activation is scheduled for October 20. CoinDesk reports that the planned mainnet launch is set for November.

Brief written by urgent.news from CoinDesk, Cointelegraph — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.