A cell tower standing on a green hilltop under a bright blue sky — illustrating connectivity for rural India

National Research, Mentorship, and Career Networking Forum on Communications Software

ComSoft Nexus 2026 is a two-day hybrid national research, mentorship, and career networking forum organized under the IEEE ComSoc TC on Communications Software. The initiative aims to connect students, researchers, faculty, and industry experts to foster research collaboration, mentorship, and PhD/postdoctoral career opportunities in emerging communications software technologies.

For UG, PG and PhD — innovate, pitch and compete across 2 challenge tracks.

Amongst an assortment of events to be hosted by the workshop, one of the highlights is the Ideathon where you can pitch your ideas catering to rural communication and connectivity and get a chance to win exciting prizes and gifts.

Apply for the ideathon

Registration is completely free for applicants — no fee, ever.

Prizesto be revealed
2 trackschoose your arena
Top speakersindustry & government
Theme
Technology Innovations for Rural Communication and Connectivity
When
14–15 November 2026Saturday and Sunday
Where
IIT KharagpurKharagpur, West Bengal
Format
Ideathon, lectures and tutorials20 shortlisted teams of up to 2

Challenge topics

Pick your arena and compete

Two frontiers. One mission — rewrite how rural India connects.

  1. Rural Communications

    Bridging connectivity gaps for a stronger India.

    • Wireless communication
    • Community networks
    • Last-mile connectivity
    Enter this track

  2. AI/ML for Rural India

    Innovative solutions for real-world impact.

    • Artificial intelligence
    • Machine learning
    • Network optimisation
    Enter this track

Why RuralConnect

Reliable connectivity comes before digital inclusion.

Affordable, reliable communication is a prerequisite for inclusive digital services. RuralConnect asks one question: how can we make rural communication and connectivity more affordable, resilient, inclusive and practical to deploy?

Affordable
Solutions a rural community can pay for and keep running.
Resilient
Links that survive outages, distance and harsh conditions.
Inclusive
Connectivity that serves farms, clinics and classrooms alike.
Practical to deploy
Ideas grounded in real constraints of power, terrain and cost.
  • days of talks, tutorials and building
  • challenge tracks
  • teams shortlisted for the ideathon
  • people per team, at most
Overhead view of two long tables where students collaborate on laptops, notebooks and phones

Ideathon teams

Teams of one or two with an idea where communications or networking is the technical core. Shortlisted teams develop it with mentors and pitch it to a technical jury.

How the ideathon works
A panel of speakers on stage in a packed auditorium with a sustainability slide behind them

Lectures & tutorials

Two days of invited talks and hands-on sessions that run alongside the ideathon — a chance to learn from the field and sharpen the ideas you pitch.

See the programme
A wide panorama of lush paddy fields and a tree-lined village road under a bright blue sky
The last mileWhere the network ends,the ideathon begins.

Challenge tracks

Two arenas.
One competition.

Rural communication must be the technical core of every idea. Pick your track and apply to compete.

  1. A sunlit village lane with tiled-roof homes, dense greenery and overhead power lines running down the road

    Rural Communications

    Bridging connectivity gaps for a stronger India.

    Design communication solutions that bridge the connectivity gap in rural India — from community wireless and mesh networks to affordable last-mile backhaul and emergency links.

    • Wireless communication
    • Community networks
    • Last-mile connectivity
    Enter this track
  2. An agricultural drone spraying rows of green crops — AI/ML for rural India

    AI/ML for Rural India

    Innovative solutions for real-world impact.

    Apply artificial intelligence and machine learning to solve real connectivity and networking challenges in rural India — from intelligent routing and spectrum management to predictive maintenance.

    • Artificial intelligence
    • Machine learning
    • Network optimisation
    Enter this track

The ideathon

From idea to pitch in two days.

Up to 20 shortlisted teams develop a rural networking idea on site with mentors, then pitch it to a technical jury.

An ideathon hall with teams gathered around tables, whiteboards, and the RuralConnect banner on stage

  1. Apply

    Submit your idea and rural network concept.

  2. Review

    At least three reviewers score every application.

  3. Shortlist

    20 teams are invited on site, with 3⁠–⁠5 reserves.

  4. Build

    Develop the idea with on-site mentor support.

  5. Pitch

    Five minutes to present, two for questions.

  6. Recognition

    The top three solutions are recognised.

What your application includes

  • A 300–500 word abstract of your idea
  • A summary of the networking architecture
  • The challenge track you are entering
  • An optional architecture diagram
  • A declaration that the work is original

Applications close on Monday 2 November.

Ground rules

  • Teams of up to 2 people: a team leader and an optional second member.
  • Every idea needs a clear communications or networking component. Generic AI solutions without rural network innovation are out of scope.
  • Hardware prototypes are not required.
  • Prior work is allowed only if it is declared, and it is treated the same way for every team.
  • All teams receive the same rules, time allotment, format and scoring categories.
  • Judges disclose conflicts of interest, and tie-breaks are fixed in advance.

The top three teams are recognised at the closing session.

What's at stake

Prizes worth competing for.

Exciting prizes are being confirmed and will be announced close to the event. The top three teams walk away with more than recognition.

  • 1st place

    Winner

    To be revealed

  • 2nd place

    Runner-up

    To be revealed

  • 3rd place

    Second runner-up

    To be revealed

Winners recognised at the closing ceremony on 15 November. Prizes to be revealed soon.

Event poster

Share RuralConnect 2026.

Pass this on to your lab, your department, your college. Click the poster to view it full-size.

Registration

Ready to compete?

Ideathon applications are limited to 20 shortlisted teams. Secure yours before they fill up.

Ideathon application

For BTech, MTech and PhD scholars with a rural networking idea.

Apply with an idea in one of the three tracks. Shortlisted teams develop and pitch it on site across both days. Limited TA and accommodation for two nights at IIT Kharagpur.

Open the ideathon application

How it works

  1. Choose a challenge track and write your abstract.
  2. Submit the application as a team leader, with an optional second member.
  3. Reviewers shortlist 20 teams; you will hear back by email.
  4. Shortlisted teams confirm their place and attend both days.

Good to know

  • Up to two people per team.
  • A clear communications or networking component is required.
  • Submitting does not guarantee selection.
Have questions? Contact us

Programme

Two days, by design.

Day one is for inspiration and building; day two is for pitching and recognition. Lectures and tutorials run alongside the ideathon.

A speaker at a university lectern presenting a networking architecture slide to a seated audience

Provisional programme. Timings may change, and speakers and session titles are announced once confirmed.

Inspiration and build

Full Day 1 schedule to be shared soon.

Timings, speakers and session details are being finalised. Check back shortly — or register to be notified first.

People

Who's building this.

Organizers

Faculty leadership

The faculty members shaping the technical vision and the direction of RuralConnect 2026.

  • Portrait of Prof. Sudip Misra

    Organizing Chair

    Prof. Sudip Misra
    • INAE Chair Professor, Department of Computer Science and EngineeringIndian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India

    FACM · FIEEE · FNAE · FIET · FNASc

  • Portrait of Prof. Amlan Chakrabarti

    Co-organizer

    Prof. Amlan Chakrabarti

    • Professor and Director, A.K. Choudhury School of Information TechnologyUniversity of Calcutta
    • Visiting Professor, Department of Artificial IntelligenceIIT Kharagpur
  • Portrait of Dr. Ayan Mondal

    Co-organizer

    Dr. Ayan Mondal

    • Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and EngineeringIndian Institute of Technology Indore
    • Associate Project DirectorIITI DRISHTI CPS Foundation
  • Portrait of Dr. Samaresh Bera

    Co-organizer

    Dr. Samaresh Bera

    • Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and EngineeringIndian Institute of Technology Jammu

    Senior Member, IEEE · Member, ACM

  • Portrait of Dr. Arijit Roy

    Co-organizer

    Dr. Arijit Roy

    • Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science and EngineeringIndian Institute of Technology Patna

Event Coordinators

Keeping the two days on track

Day-of coordination, logistics liaison and the people the shortlisted teams will meet first.

  • Portrait of Kumarjit Ray

    Event coordination

    Kumarjit Ray

  • Portrait of Rajdeep Ghosh

    Event coordination

    Rajdeep Ghosh

Team Members

The committees behind the event

Six working groups make RuralConnect 2026 happen — from the website you are reading now to venue, speakers, registration and awards.

  • Web and Digital

    LeadSampurna Dan

    • Soujash Banerjee
    • Paromita Nag
    • Jishan Aich
    • Subhodeep Ghosh

  • Ideation + Jury

    LeadShubham Kumar

    • Shubham Dey
    • Singarapu Pawan Kumar

  • Speakers, Program, Tutorial

    LeadDiotima Nag

    • Shilpi Rani
    • Abhijit Saha
    • Ashwini Roshan

  • Registration

    LeadProlay Mallick

    • Saharsh Gupta
    • Jishan Aich
    • Amit Maurya

  • Venue, Logistics & Hospitality

    LeadRukhshar Khatun

    • Indumouly Nandi
    • Rupa Deka
    • Aparesh Mahapatra
    • Vikash Kumar

  • Awards and Documentation

    LeadArindom Aich

    • Jahir Alam
    • Rishikant Mallick
    • Tanupriya Ameta
    • Subhodeep Ghosh

About the event

RuralConnect will be held at IIT Kharagpur, supported by a coalition of national bodies championing rural connectivity.

A two-day National Workshop convening students, researchers and industry around the networks that reach India's villages.

  • IEEE ComSoc
  • NPTEL
  • IEEE Kharagpur Section CS-SBC
  • IEEE Kharagpur Section SB

FAQ

Questions, answered.

Something else? swanlab.iitkgp@gmail.com

A cell tower on a quiet green hilltop under drifting clouds
Who can take part in the ideathon?

BTech, MTech and PhD scholars with an idea for rural communication or connectivity. Teams of one or two people — each application has a team leader and an optional second member.

Twenty teams are shortlisted to take part on site.

Does my idea have to involve networking?

Yes. Every shortlisted idea must have communications or networking at its technical core. Applications in agriculture, health or education qualify when the innovation is in how the network delivers the service.

Do we need a working prototype?

No. Hardware prototypes are not required. You will be judged on the idea, its network design, feasibility and impact.

Can we build on work we have already done?

Yes, if you declare it in your application. Declared prior work is treated the same way for every team.

How are teams selected and judged?

At least three reviewers score each application for relevance, novelty, feasibility and impact. On Day 2, shortlisted teams give a five-minute pitch followed by two minutes of questions, scored by the jury.

When will speakers and the venue be announced?

Speaker names and the venue are published on this page as soon as they are confirmed. The programme shown here is provisional, and timings may change.