Ethereum Classic Labs Announces Network Upgrade, Phoenix Hard Fork

Further Advancing EVM Capabilities and Making Ethereum and Ethereum Classic Completely Compatible

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ethereum Classic Labs (ETC Labs), and its ETC Core developer team today announced that Ethereum Classic will undergo a network upgrade named, “Phoenix,” at block number 10,500,839, which is estimated to occur on June 3^rd, 2020. This system-wide upgrade is the result of a consensus among stakeholders in the Ethereum Classic community and will further enhance EVM capabilities, and make Ethereum and Ethereum Classic completely compatible for the first time.

Phoenix will be inclusive of the Ethereum Istanbul network protocol upgrades on the Ethereum Classic network. With this update, various opcodes will be added to Ethereum Classic, all of which have been in use on Ethereum networks since the end of 2019. Phoenix follows the successful Atlantis and Agharta hard forks in the last several months.

“This upgrade demonstrates the robust development underway on Ethereum Classic, as it is the third hard fork in the last year; and reflects the strong community consensus among ETC stakeholders. The upgrade also marks an important turning point for Ethereum Classic, where now the community is in a position to drive more innovation, to collaborate, and to make fresh technical contributions to the ETC and ETH communities,” said Terry Culver, CEO of ETC Labs. “This supports the founding mission of ETC Labs and reinforces our values of transparency, collaboration and accessibility for all,” said James Wo, Founder and Chairman of ETC Labs.

All TestNets have successfully implemented the Phoenix upgrade, and now the ETC Core development team is preparing for MainNet activation. The Phoenix hard fork schedule is as follows, although estimated dates are subject to change as the network moves closer to the activation block.

• Mordor TestNet activation at block 999,983, successfully activated on March 09, 2020.
• Kotti TestNet activation at block 2,200,013, successfully activated on April 15, 2020.
• Ethereum Classic MainNet activation at block 10,500,839 around June 03, 2020.

The full Phoenix hard fork schedule is available, here.

To ensure a successful fork, it is recommended consumers upgrade their node software to a fork compatible version if they have not done so already. Phoenix is being implemented in the following software:

• Core-geth, v1.11.0 or later.
• Hyperledger Besu, v1.4.1 or later.

For more information on ETC Labs and the Phoenix hard fork, contact Kelsey at [phone] or email her at [e-mail].

DISCLAIMER This is an emergent and evolving highly technical space. If you choose to implement the recommendations in this post and continue to participate, you should make sure you understand how it impacts you. You should understand that there are risks involved including but not limited to risks like unexpected bugs. By choosing to implement these recommendations, you alone assume the risks of the consequences. This post and recommendations are not a sale of any kind and do not create any warranties of any kind including but not limited to any relating to the Ethereum Classic network or the Ethereum Classic clients referred to herein.

About Ethereum Classic Labs

The mission of ETC Labs is to build relevant, accessible, and high-quality technology, and to use that technology to create communities of value in a mature and regulated ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to fulfill the promise of blockchain to improve people’s lives using Ethereum Classic, one of the world’s major public blockchains. The ETC Labs team of experts also fosters partnerships with organizations and institutions in order to address fundamental challenges in developing and deploying this innovative technology. We fulfill our mission in three ways: ETC Labs Accelerate, which invests in up to 25 blockchain projects annually that contribute to sustaining a robust ecosystem; strategic investments in innovative projects focused on economic and social development; and the ETC Core team of experts and developers who maintain the Ethereum Classic blockchain and build key applications, solutions, and tools. For more information, visit www.etclabs.org.