NEW DELHI — In a major push to accelerate digital transformation and foster homegrown technological advancements, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has officially launched the second edition of the 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026.
Organised under the ambitious ‘100 5G Use Case Labs’ initiative, the national-level competition aims to spur the development of scalable, next-generation telecom solutions leveraging 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT).
Who Can Apply and How It Works The programme has opened its doors to a wide array of participants, including students, start-ups, MSMEs, and independent innovators from across the country.
-
Application Window: The call for proposals opened on March 20 and will remain active until April 17, 2026.
-
Evaluation Process: Entries will be routed directly through designated 5G Use Case Labs situated at leading academic institutions, which will act as the nodal centres for evaluating the proposals.
-
Thematic Areas: The hackathon covers a broad spectrum of critical sectors, seeking innovations in 5G/5G Advanced use cases, AI-driven telecom solutions, network security, disaster management, and IoT applications tailored for healthcare, agriculture, and education.
Funding, Support, and Prizes To ensure that promising ideas successfully transition into working prototypes, the DoT has structured a comprehensive support system for the selected teams:
-
Seed Funding: A dedicated seed fund of ₹50 lakh has been earmarked to provide financial and infrastructural backing to the innovators.
-
Lab Access: Participants will gain exclusive access to state-of-the-art 5G lab infrastructure to test and build their prototypes.
-
Prize Pool: The hackathon features a total prize pool exceeding ₹10 lakh for the top winners.
-
IPR Support: Up to 25 standout teams will receive official government support for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) filing.
The final results of the hackathon are scheduled to be announced on October 1, 2026. The winning innovations will be granted the prestigious opportunity to be showcased at the India Mobile Congress 2026, providing them with immense industry visibility.
