--- title: "Ethereum Foundation Details L1 Cost Reductions and Roadmap Through Glamsterdam" description: "Recent hard forks pushed Ethereum base-layer gas fees to fractions of a gwei, shifting app architecture ahead of scheduled capacity upgrades." url: https://basisdesk.news/news/ethereum-foundation-l1-gas-costs-roadmap-glamsterdam published: 2026-10-08T20:26:00.988Z modified: 2026-10-08T20:26:00.988Z section: Tech & Protocols author: Basis Desk Newsroom (AI-generated, source-verified) sentiment: bullish tickers: [ETH] tags: [ethereum, gas-fees, account-abstraction, glamsterdam, pectra, fusaka] license: Quote with attribution to Basis Desk (basisdesk.news). Not financial advice. --- # Ethereum Foundation Details L1 Cost Reductions and Roadmap Through Glamsterdam Recent hard forks pushed Ethereum base-layer gas fees to fractions of a gwei, shifting app architecture ahead of scheduled capacity upgrades. ## At a glance - **What happened:** The Ethereum Foundation published a technical review documenting how three protocol upgrades brought L1 fees down to fractions of a gwei [1]. - **Why it matters:** Mainnet execution costs have fallen low enough to make direct L1 deployment feasible again for applications requiring shared liquidity and maximum security [1]. - **Who is affected:** Ethereum mainnet application developers, wallet providers, and node validators [1]. - **What's next:** Glamsterdam upgrade activation is anticipated in the second half of 2026 [1]. - **Primary source:** [Building on Ethereum in 2026: what has changed](https://ethereum.org/latest/building-on-ethereum-in-2026) — ethereum.org ## Key points - Ethereum L1 gas fees fell to roughly 0.15 gwei following the Dencun, Pectra, and Fusaka hard forks, bringing standard transfers to single-digit cents [1]. - EIP-7702 enables existing EOAs to use smart-account batching and gas sponsorship without migrating to new addresses [1]. - The upcoming Glamsterdam upgrade targets H2 2026, pairing BALs and ePBS to pave the way for a 200 million gas limit [1]. ## Editorial remark - **Context:** Rollup data offloading via EIP-4844 and PeerDAS moved roughly 95% of transaction traffic off mainnet, leaving L1 blocks persistently below capacity targets and driving base-fee deflation [1]. - **Impact:** Decentralized application teams can reassess deploying directly to Ethereum mainnet for shared liquidity and composability, rather than defaulting strictly to layer-2 networks [1]. - **Watch:** Glamsterdam's mainnet deployment in the second half of 2026, followed by client discussions regarding EIP-8141 inclusion in the Hegotá upgrade [1]. Protocol upgrades have structurally reduced execution costs on Ethereum layer 1, lowering standard gas prices to around 0.15 gwei and challenging long-held assumptions that mainnet is cost-prohibitive for consumer applications, according to an architectural guide published by the Ethereum Foundation [1]. The drop in base-layer fees follows the cumulative deployment of three major hard forks: Dencun in March 2024, Pectra in May 2025, and Fusaka in December 2025 [1]. Dencun introduced EIP-4844 blobs to separate rollup settlement from standard execution, while Pectra expanded blob throughput to a target of six and a maximum of nine blobs per block under EIP-7691 [1]. Fusaka subsequently implemented PeerDAS sampling and standardized the L1 gas limit at 60 million via EIP-7935, while EIP-7825 placed a ~16.78 million gas cap on individual transactions [1]. Combined with rollups processing approximately 95% of network activity, the baseline cost of an on-chain $ETH transfer fell to roughly $0.025 under average 0.5-gwei conditions [1]. At the time of writing, $ETH traded at $2,466. ## Account Abstraction and Glamsterdam Milestones Beyond lower fees, Pectra introduced EIP-7702, enabling externally owned accounts to execute contract logic without migrating addresses [1]. The mechanism allows wallets to delegate authority to deployed code using transaction type 0x04, unlocking native transaction batching via ERC-5792, gas sponsorship, and session keys while retaining the original account control [1]. The Ethereum Foundation warned that delegation targets act as critical security boundaries, urging developers to avoid directing users toward unvetted application code [1]. Network developers are now preparing for the Glamsterdam hard fork, scheduled for the second half of 2026 [1]. As [Ethereum schedules Glamsterdam upgrade for Sepolia activation](https://basisdesk.news/news/ethereum-schedules-glamsterdam-upgrade-sepolia-activation), the release will feature Block-level Access Lists (BALs) and enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) [1]. BALs will enable parallelized transaction execution, laying the groundwork to scale the block gas limit from 60 million toward 200 million [1]. Subsequent plans for the Hegotá upgrade include Fork-choice enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) under EIP-7805 to prevent transaction censorship, alongside consideration of EIP-8141 Frame Transactions for native account abstraction [1]. ## FAQ **Why are Ethereum mainnet gas fees lower in 2026?** Blob data channels from Dencun and Pectra, PeerDAS sampling in Fusaka, and a standardized 60 million gas limit moved 95% of execution demand to rollups, leaving L1 with ample spare capacity [1]. **What is EIP-7702?** Shipped in the Pectra upgrade, EIP-7702 allows regular externally owned accounts (EOAs) to temporarily point to contract code, enabling features like batching and sponsored gas without address migration [1]. **What are the primary features in the Glamsterdam upgrade?** Glamsterdam includes Block-level Access Lists (BALs) to enable parallel transaction execution and enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS), aiming to safely increase the block gas limit toward 200 million [1]. ## Sources 1. [Building on Ethereum in 2026: what has changed](https://ethereum.org/latest/building-on-ethereum-in-2026) — ethereum.org, 2026-10-08 --- Basis Desk Newsroom · AI-generated, source-verified · https://basisdesk.news/about/how-we-use-ai