5G for Bharat: How Students and Startups Are Driving India’s Deep Tech Push

While the world talks about India’s growing prowess in 5G deployment, a quiet but powerful transformation is happening in classrooms and early-stage incubators across the country. The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has launched an ambitious initiative — setting up 100 5G labs across educational institutions — to place students and startups at the heart of the nation’s deep tech revolution.

But this is more than just a technology upgrade. It’s a strategic bet on India’s innovation pipeline, built not in boardrooms, but in college labs, startup accelerators, and research hubs spread across Bharat.

Why the 100 5G Labs Matter

Announced earlier this year by the Ministry of Communications, the 100 5G Labs Initiative is designed to foster an ecosystem of innovation, experimentation, and commercialization. These labs are being set up in premier academic institutions to empower student innovators and young startups to explore applications of 5G and advanced communication technologies in real-life scenarios.

Whether it’s healthcare in rural areas, smart agriculture, or low-latency industrial automation, these labs aim to unlock deep tech use cases that are relevant to India’s unique challenges — not just urban, but rural and semi-urban too.

"Our goal is not just to import 5G, but to innovate for India through India," an official from DoT stated at the launch, underlining the focus on local solutions and talent.

Students as the New Innovators

Unlike traditional government schemes that tend to stay industry-centric, this program actively places students at the core. Through access to advanced testing facilities, mentorship, and early-stage funding, students are encouraged to build 5G-enabled applications and even form deep tech startups.

This is already playing out in real terms. At IIT Madras, for instance, students are developing 5G-based remote monitoring systems for primary health centers. At another lab in Gujarat, a student-led startup is testing smart irrigation systems using ultra-low latency 5G networks.

Startups Find a Launchpad in Academia

For deep tech startups, the cost and complexity of building 5G-based solutions has been a longstanding barrier. These labs change that.

By integrating startups with academic research and real-world testing environments, the initiative effectively reduces the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) gap — helping ideas move from concept to pilot and beyond. Many of these labs are also linked to startup incubators, giving founders access to funding, mentorship, and government partnerships.

“We were struggling to find a reliable 5G testbed until the lab at our partner institute opened up. Now we’re running full pilots for our smart logistics platform,” said a founder from a Gurugram-based deep tech startup.

The Data Behind the Push

• 100 5G labs to be set up across India, with special emphasis on Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.

• Focus areas include: health tech, smart cities, agriculture, automation, energy, and education.

• Labs are being integrated with Digital Communication Innovation Square (DCIS) and Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) schemes to ensure commercialization support.

Deep Tech, Local Impact

This initiative also links closely with broader government schemes like:

• Digital Communication Innovation Square (DCIS) – funding startups to take their innovations from proof-of-concept to pilot stage.

• Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF) – supporting indigenous technology development, especially for rural and remote connectivity.

Together, these schemes form a deep tech growth pipeline for Bharat — from academic ideation to rural deployment.

What This Means for Bharat’s Future

India’s deep tech landscape is often constrained by capital, mentorship, and testing infrastructure. By placing resources directly in the hands of students and early-stage founders, the 100 5G Labs project is rewriting how innovation is built — not top-down, but grassroots-first.

This initiative sends a clear message: India’s next deep tech unicorn may not come from a metro incubator, but from a university in Nagpur or a startup in Lucknow. The move from Digital India to Innovative Bharat is no longer a slogan — it's taking shape, one lab at a time.

In the global 5G race, India isn’t just trying to catch up — it’s trying to leap ahead by betting on its youngest minds and boldest ideas. Students and startups aren’t just part of the 5G journey — they’re leading it.