A few days ago, developer Peter Siladiyi confirmed that Istanbul hard fork will be held approximately on December 4.
The protocol update is activated on block # 9 069 000. For the successful implementation of the hard fork, a utility version of the popular Geth client (v1.9.7) has already been released, which, among other things, has a fork ordering mechanism to avoid the emergence of new chains. The memory algorithm of the Ethereum virtual machine has also been optimized, which should increase its performance.
It turned out that the hard fork was already successfully activated on October 30 in the Görli test network. Activation in the Rinkeby testnet is scheduled for November 13th.
In parallel with preparations for Istanbul, work is underway on Ethereum 2.0. According to coordinator Danny Ryan, the launch of the public test network of the second version of the broadcast can take place in two weeks.
Currently, specifications are being finalized to run the testnet. A deposit contract is also being standardized, which will allow you to transfer funds from the first version of Ethereum to the second.