New Delhi: Recognising trailblazers shaping the connectivity landscape, India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 presented its prestigious annual awards during the landmark 10th edition in New Delhi. The official IMC 2026 Awards spotlighted standout achievements across indigenous innovation, export leadership, enterprise cloud deployments, cybersecurity and next-generation 5G use cases.
The 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026 honoured multiple startups for their cutting-edge solutions, a category shaped by a nationwide innovation challenge launched by Ericsson India. The challenge invited startups, researchers, academic institutions and innovators from across India to develop solutions using 5G, AI, Cloud and IoT to address real-world challenges. It focused on Rural Technology & Digital Inclusion, Healthcare Access & Diagnostics, Climate & Environmental Sustainability, Agricultural Productivity & Food Security and Advanced Manufacturing. After a rigorous three-stage evaluation that funneled 800 applications down to a final 20, a jury of telecom industry leaders and government representatives selected the winning teams. Torchit, Skye Air Mobility and scanO emerged as the primary winners while Okulo Aerospace, Proxgy and KissanAI were recognised as the runners up.
Highlighting the nation’s technological trajectory,Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, Hon’ble Minister of Communications and Development of North Eastern Region said, “India’s phenomenal rise is driven by our youth’s ability to innovate and think out of the box. The tremendous success of our telecom story over the last decade has achieved unparalleled coverage, inclusivity and affordability. The true value lies in IP and in the area of innovation. The government has laid out the regulatory architecture. Our journey is from a Bharat that was Vishwaguru to a Bharat today that is Atmanirbhar, to a Bharat tomorrow that will be Viksit Bharat 2047.”
The overall honours underscored India’s twin focus on fostering homegrown technology and strengthening global export capabilities. The awards celebrated grassroots ecosystem builders, MSMEs and breakthrough startup innovators. Aerial Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd. won Best MSME in Telecom Ecosystem while Communications Test Design India Pvt. Ltd. (CTDI) was recognised with the Sustainable Growth Award for Organization in Telecom Ecosystem. Highlighting domestic engineering ingenuity, Space World Digital Solutions was awarded Best Made in India Telecom Innovation.
In infrastructure, cloud and software domains, Ericsson won Most Innovative Telecom Software, HCL Tech secured Best Cloud Solution for Telco Ecosystem and Fortinet Inc. was recognised for Best Security, Privacy & Authentication Driven Solution of the Year. Enterprise adoption of advanced connectivity was led by Sundaram Clayton Ltd., winning Most Innovative 5G Use Case Deployed for the Year. Tanla Platforms Limited was awarded the Biggest Indian Telecom Technology Exporter of the Year while Nokia Solutions and Networks India Pvt. Ltd. took home the honour for Biggest Telecom Technology Exporter of the Year.
Interactive engagement and visual excellence across the exhibition floors were also recognised. TCS was awarded Best Exhibit Design of the Year while Qualcomm was named Best Interactive Exhibitor of the Year. Ciena earned the title for Most Innovative Tech Display and Netprompt AI was honoured as the Most Innovative Startup Display.
IMC 2026 Award Winners
- 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026: Torchit
- 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026: Skye Air Mobility
- 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026: scanO
- 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026: Okulo Aerospace
- 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026: Proxgy
- 5G Innovation Hackathon 2026: KissanAI
- Most Innovative 5G Use Case Deployed for the Year: Sundaram Clayton Ltd.
- Best MSME in Telecom Ecosystem: Aerial Telecom Solutions Pvt Ltd.
- Best Made in India Telecom Innovation: Space World Digital Solutions
- Best Cloud Solution for Telco Ecosystem: HCL Tech
- Sustainable Growth Award for Organization in Telecom Ecosystem: Communications Test Design India Pvt. Ltd. (CTDI)
- Most Innovative Telecom Software: Ericsson
- Best Security, Privacy & Authentication Driven Solution of the Year: Fortinet Inc.
- Biggest Telecom Technology Exporter of the Year: Nokia Solutions and Networks India Pvt. Ltd.
- Biggest Indian Telecom Technology Exporter of the Year: Tanla Platforms Limited
- Best Exhibit Design of the Year: TCS
- Best Interactive Exhibitor of the Year: Qualcomm
- Most Innovative Tech Display: Ciena
- Most Innovative Startup Display: Netprompt AI
Organised by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications, Government of India and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), the landmark 10th edition of IMC is set to welcome over 1.5 lakh attendees from more than 100 countries. Across four days, the forum brings together 600+ partners and exhibitors, 500+ startups and 900+ thought leaders, showcasing more than 2,000 technology use cases across over 120 sessions. IMC 2026 covers nine established anchor sectors including 5G and 6G, next-generation AI networks, semiconductors, non-terrestrial networks, cybersecurity, quantum communication, enterprise transformation, circular economy and ESG and electronics manufacturing.
