The Stellar Development Foundation outlined Bell, a proposed Protocol 30 upgrade, in an October 20, 2026 announcement. It scheduled a testnet vote for November 3, 2026 and a mainnet vote for November 23, 2026. These are governance milestones, not confirmation that the upgrade’s features are active; governance could change the schedule.
Bell proposes muxed contract addresses for services managing many customer relationships, post-quantum signature verification inside smart contracts, and changes intended to allow faster ledger closes. The signature proposal would not make the whole network quantum-proof, and faster ledgers would not automatically mean instant settlement of offchain obligations. Applications may need testing before adopting the new contract patterns.
