The upcoming Ethereum Classic (ETC) Agharta hard fork will include features of the Ethereum (ETH) Constantinople fork and intends to make ETC fully compatible with Ethereum.

In a press release shared with Cointelegraph on Dec. 26, ETC Labs further confirmed its intention to ensure full compatibility between ETC and ETH, as the coming Agharta update is expected to create backward compatibility between the two networks. ETC Labs CEO Terry Culver told Cointelegraph:

“Agharta is the first of several exciting upgrades scheduled for the next year. In 2020, ETC is poised to collaborate, innovate, and grow.”

In the press release, Culver further explained that compatibility between the two networks is expected to accelerate the development of the Ethereum Classic community and ecosystem.

ETC Labs further points out that ETC and ETH grew from the same root and that restoring “technical compatibility will improve development processes and allow for differences while reducing disruption.” ETC Labs founder James Wo also commented on the upcoming hard fork:

“This update is a signal that we want to be compatible with Ethereum. We believe in the success of public blockchains, because they are built on the strength of the community.”

Agharta hard fork expected around Jan. 15

In December, ETC Core technology coordinator Stevan Lohja announced that ETC core developers and participating ecosystem stakeholders had agreed on a target block number for mainnet activation as well as a testnet review period for greater assurance. “Core developers agreed to activate Agharta on mainnet at block 9_573_000 which is expected around Jan. 15, 2020,” Lohja said.

ETC Labs Core rebrands to ETC Core to clarify difference with ETC Labs

Also in December, Lohja announced that ETC Labs Core had been rebranded to ETC Core. Lohja stipulated that this rebranding will assist the company to differentiate itself from ETC Labs, one of the first incubators that supported innovative projects on the Ethereum Classic blockchain.