The Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications has launched the second edition of the 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026 to promote next-generation telecom solutions and accelerate digital transformation.
The national-level hackathon, organised under the ‘100 5G Use Case Labs’ initiative, aims to encourage the development of innovative and scalable solutions leveraging 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and related technologies.
The programme invites participation from students, start-ups, MSMEs and innovators across the country. The call for proposals has opened from March 20 and will remain open till April 17, 2026. Entries will be routed through designated 5G Use Case Labs, which will act as nodal centres for evaluation.
According to the official release, selected teams will receive financial and infrastructural support to develop working prototypes. A dedicated seed fund of ₹50 lakh has been earmarked, along with access to advanced 5G lab infrastructure available at leading academic institutions.
The hackathon carries a total prize pool of over ₹10 lakh, with top winners receiving cash awards and support for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) filing for up to 25 teams. The final results will be announced on October 1, 2026, and winning innovations will be showcased at the India Mobile Congress 2026.
The initiative covers a wide range of thematic areas, including 5G and 5G Advanced use cases, AI-driven telecom solutions, IoT applications in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture and education, as well as network security and disaster management technologies.
