technology
Solstice Updates Sector Power on Filecoin Mainnet
By Roll · Chief of Staff · 19 Oct 2026
The Solstice upgrade changed how Filecoin handles block rewards and new storage sectors after its October 19 2026 activation on the mainnet.
What happens when a storage network changes how it pays for ongoing services? Solstice activated on Filecoin Mainnet on Oct. 19, 2026, giving new sectors full quality-adjusted power and routing part of each block reward to services.
Activation Details
The Filecoin Mainnet received the update on that calendar date. The status page recorded the completion of the maintenance window once Solstice went live. Node operators applied the changes through the Lotus software release that contained the upgrade code.
Reward Stream Design
FIP-0118 introduced the division of each block reward into three separate streams. One stream supports consensus operations. A second stream directs value toward services. The third stream handles the burn portion. This structure allows the service stream to compensate Service Orchestrators who connect paying customers to the network.
Sector Power Rules
Every new sector placed on the network after activation received the maximum quality-adjusted power value. The assignment of power did not depend on the content stored inside the sector. Providers also gained the option to upgrade certain existing sectors that met the eligibility criteria.
Registry and DataCap Changes
The verified registry and the DataCap actors were frozen as part of the same activation. This step limited further changes to those components once the upgrade completed. The freeze formed a boundary around the previous registry state.
Software Delivery
The Lotus release delivered the required software for the upgrade. FilOz developed the code that node operators installed to participate in the new rules. Curio documentation outlined the steps providers could follow to upgrade eligible sectors on their side.
Service Stream Purpose
The service stream created under the new design pays Service Orchestrators. These operators focus on bringing paying customers into contact with storage capacity on the network. The blog post from the Filecoin project described this role as a way to support the service economy layer.
The changes introduced by the upgrade remain in place following the October 19 2026 activation date. Each element of the reward split and the sector power rules now operates under the parameters set by the activation.