Yes, but "exploratory work" is far from a finished, proper product. Which is to say, expecting it to be available next year would be optimistic, especially since the new rules haven't even been set in stone yet, and that enforcement typically takes time :)
There are different reasons to support alternative browsers. While Firefox on IOS definitely does ad and tracker blocking (which is great!) Some people are concerned that the underlying engine is restricted on IOS to webkit. So it may very well be a better experience for you than safari, but that alone does not satisfy concerns of homogenization in the browser space on Apple devices.