The Ethereum network is embarking on a significant journey with the launch of its Mekong Testnet in preparation for the upcoming Pectra upgrade. As Ethereum scales its functionalities, market watchers are keenly observing whether ETH prices will breach the $3,500 mark in the near future.

Ethereum, the most popular smart contracts platform globally, is setting a new precedent with recent developments. While it remains at the forefront of decentralized application (dApp) deployment and transaction volumes, the network encounters challenges in keeping pace with emerging competitors. This scrutiny is especially pronounced in areas such as transaction speed and associated costs, where traditional operations on Ethereum's mainnet can overwhelm users with high gas fees, particularly affecting those trading meme coins. In contrast, alternative networks like Solana and Ethereum’s own layer-2 solutions offer more economical options.

Recognizing these challenges, Ethereum’s development community is searching for viable solutions. Recently, the Ethereum Foundation announced the launch of the Mekong Testnet, a strategic move towards the anticipated Pectra hard fork scheduled for early next year. Mekong presents a "sandbox" environment where developers can interact with new Pectra features. Crucially, this testnet serves as a validation step, scrutinizing new proposals and identifying potential errors before full integration.

Pectra promises to bring fundamental changes, notably refining staking workflows, including methodologies for staking, withdrawals, and reward processing. Furthermore, wallet interfaces will undergo adjustments, a focal point in enhancing user interaction. Emphasizing scalability, these adaptations aim to increase mainnet efficiency, significantly benefiting meme coins such as Pepe and the newly conceptualized Pepe Unchained. The latter, a layer-2 Ethereum platform designed for meme coins, has garnered attention with over $25 million in ongoing presales.

Developers are invited to explore the Mekong Testnet starting today, November 7th, a pivotal opportunity in alignment with the upcoming Devcon event in Bangkok. However, unlike previous testnets such as Sepolia, Mekong will remain accessible for a limited time before being decommissioned.

Ethereum's Pectra upgrade is poised to be a transformative milestone following the earlier Dencun update, which significantly reduced transaction costs on layer-2 chains by 90%. Despite increased activity on these platforms, ETH prices have faced downward pressure. Nevertheless, Ethereum's shift towards a more deflationary model, evidenced by data from Ultra Sound Money, indicates a positive long-term trajectory.

Market sentiment ahead of Pectra remains optimistic. Investors are strategically buying on price dips, projecting a rally towards $3,500 soon. Technical analysis of the ETHUSDT daily chart indicates the coin is currently navigating a bullish breakout pattern, with crucial support ranging from $2,700 to $2,800.

Resistance levels have been identified at $3,000 and $3,500, aligning with peaks observed in July.