Zcash activated the NU7 upgrade on the testnet, with the mainnet scheduled to launch on November 5

According to Cointelegraph, Zcash has activated the NU7 network upgrade on the testnet, putting the planned protocol changes into real testing, about a month away from its target mainnet launch. According to data from the Zcash testnet block explorer ZecBlock, the scheduled activation height block 4,465,026 for NU7 was mined on October 4 at 18:21:45 UTC, and Zcash subsequently confirmed on the X platform that NU7 is running on the testnet.

NU7 is the next network upgrade for Zcash, which will shorten the network's target block interval from 75 seconds to 25 seconds. This upgrade will also disable version 4 transactions and introduce a network sustainability mechanism that recycles part of the transaction fees for future block rewards. Disabling version 4 transactions also means that if users do not transfer funds before NU7 is fully activated, ZEC stored in the old Sprout shielded pool of Zcash will be unspendable.

The Zcash Foundation stated that testnet operators should test NU7 under real conditions using the candidate version, allowing developers to evaluate the upgrade before mainnet activation. Zcash developers plan to make a final decision on mainnet activation and determine the activation height based on the testnet performance on October 20, with a target mainnet activation date of November 5.