Department of Telecommunications (DoT) Launches 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026

Key facts

• The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) under the Ministry of Communications has launched the second edition of the 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026.
• The initiative is organised under the 100 5G Use Case Labs Initiative to develop scalable solutions using 5G and allied technologies.
• The hackathon is open to students, start-ups, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and independent innovators across India.
• Submissions are accepted from 20 March 2026 until 17 April 2026 through designated nodal centres at academic institutions.
• A seed funding pool of ₹50 lakh has been allocated for prototype development, while the total prize pool exceeds ₹10 lakh.
• Prize rewards are structured as ₹5,00,000 for the first prize, ₹3,00,000 for the runner-up, ₹1,50,000 for the second runner-up, and ₹50,000 for the Best Idea Award.
• Up to 25 teams will receive assistance for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) filing to protect and commercialise their solutions.
• Final results will be announced on 1 October 2026, and winners will showcase their innovations at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026.
• Focus areas include 5G Advanced, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), 5G RedCap (Reduced Capability), Fixed Wireless Access (FWA), and Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN).