Solana to Slash Validator Fees with Alpenglow Upgrade, Lower Admission Threshold, and Boost Bandwidth Ahead of 2026

COINOTAG News reports that Marinade Labs CEO Michael Repetny indicates the Solana ecosystem is preparing for a forthcoming upgrade by year-end or early 2026. The plan centers on expanding validator participation by lowering the validator admission threshold after the Alpenglow upgrade, increasing bandwidth, and reducing latency to boost network scalability and on-chain throughput.

Currently, running a Solana validator costs about $5,000 per month, with roughly $4,000 (80%) allocated to the voting fee. The Alpenglow upgrade is described as substantially reducing these fees, enabling a broader base of participants to operate validator nodes and support ongoing network security and performance.