DoT & ITU Host AI for Good Build-a-thon 5.0 at IMC 2026

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), under the Ministry of Communications, and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) jointly hosted the AI for Good Build-a-thon 5.0 on the final day of India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2026 at Yashobhoomi, New Delhi. The hands-on event brought together top technical teams from across India to develop cutting-edge Agentic AI solutions tailored for the telecommunications sector.

Centered on the theme “Creating Innovative Agents in 5G,” the event was inaugurated by Dr. Bilel Jamoussi, Deputy Director and Chief of the Study Groups and Policy Department at ITU’s Telecommunication Standardization Bureau. 

In his opening address, Dr. Jamoussi emphasized that Agentic AI solutions must align with local operating conditions, adhere to international technical standards, and respect national regulatory frameworks. He highlighted that practical AI deployments play a key role in identifying policy gaps, enabling regulators to update rules effectively.

From Kick-off to Working Prototypes

The competition launched in early July with over 25 registered teams, averaging four members each. Mentors from ITU and DoT delivered more than 10 hours of specialized online guidance across five interactive sessions. These workshops covered complex problem statements, the ITU-T Y.3172 machine learning pipeline, the ITU AI Readiness 2.0 report, and open-source data architectures.

The intensive preparation produced 16 high-quality AI prototypes. Participating teams designed a range of functional agents, including localized knowledge-base agents, legal/policy advisory agents, and multi-system coordinator agents.

Standout Innovations and Award Winners

The hackathon produced several technical breakthroughs:

• Context-Aware 5G Knowledge Base: A multi-agent framework delivering policy mapping and auditable operational evidence.
• Intelligent Network Controller: An AI engine balancing traffic prioritization and security controls based on real-time data sensitivity and service intent.
• Regulatory Integration Agent: A system embedding Indian telecom law directly into network operations via optimizer agents and a regulator agent with veto authority.

Following live prototype demonstrations, ITU and DoT leadership presented awards to the top-performing teams:

Shaping the Future of Telecom AI

Build-a-thon 5.0 demonstrated that Indian innovators can design scalable, practical AI tools for 5G telecommunications while directly influencing regulatory frameworks. The event ended with a strong commitment to continued collaboration among government bodies, international standardizers, and young engineers to advance global telecom standards.