DoT launches 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026

• Dushyant Sharma
• 21 Mar 2026
• 283 Views

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, has introduced the 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026. This edition is the second edition of the flagship program and has been built on the positive feedback from the previous edition. 

The hackathon is a part of the 100 5G Use Case Labs initiative. It aims to stimulate the creation of creative as well as effective solutions that make use of 5G and related technologies. Students, start-ups, MSMEs and innovators from all over the nation are encouraged by DoT to participate in it. 

Invitation for Proposals

The hackathon began on 20 March 2026 with a call for proposals. The submission process shall remain open until 17 April 2026. Proposals can be submitted through the designated 100 5G Use Case Lab institutions, which will serve as nodal centers. All entries will undergo a structured multi-stage evaluation process. 

This process includes: institution-level screening, evaluation by regional committees, national-level assessments based on presentations, prototype development support and final evaluation on the basis of physical demonstrations.

Initial Support and Access to 5G Labs

Selected teams under the hackathon shall receive financial as well as infrastructural support and allow them to transform their ideas into working prototypes. For this purpose, an initial funding of Rs. 50 lakhs has been set aside. To test, validate and improve their solutions, teams will have access to state-of-the-art infrastructure available at 100 5G Use Case Labs set up at prestigious academic institutions. 

Prize Pool Over Rs 10 Lakh and IPR Support

The 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026 will have a total prize pool of over Rs. 10 lakh. The first prize is Rs. 500,000, followed by Rs. 300,000 for the runner-up and Rs. 150,000 for the second runner-up. There will also be a special prize of Rs. 50,000 awarded for the best idea. 

Furthermore, support for filing intellectual property rights (IPR) will be extended to a maximum of 25 teams. The final results will be announced on 1 October 2026. The selected innovations will be showcased and awarded at the India Mobile Congress 2026.

A Broad Range of Thematic Areas

Applications are being accepted in many different thematic areas like 5G and 5G Advanced-based use cases, applications of artificial intelligence and machine learning for telecommunications technology development as well as network operations and maintenance, IoT-enabled applications in healthcare, agriculture, education, industrial automation and other key sectors of the economy, 5G/5G Advanced-based applications for disaster management, REDCap user devices and Fixed Wireless Access. 

Other areas of focus include non-terrestrial networks and their integration with 5G/5G Advanced systems, 5G use cases leveraging advanced network capabilities, including network slicing and quality of service and other native 5G features and telecom security solutions for next-generation communication systems.

Online Applications via DOT Portal

If you are interested in participating in 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026, you can submit an online application via the official DoT portal @ https://eservices.dot.gov.in/5ghackathon/. 

The second edition of the hackathon showcases the Government of India’s continued commitment to encourage innovation and strengthen the nation’s telecom ecosystem. 

Source: Press Information Bureau (PIB)