This year’s competition drew revolutionary ideas from startups and research pioneers worldwide, all focused on leveraging AI to reshape connectivity. From a massive pool of talent, 12 standout teams have been chosen to advance, representing the pinnacle of innovation in three strategic pillars:
- Autonomous Networks: Systems that think, adapt, and heal themselves.
- Energy Efficiency & Zero-bit Zero-watt: Groundbreaking solutions to minimize energy consumption across the network.
- Security: Advanced threat detection and the protection of AI models themselves.
What’s Next?
The journey is just beginning. Starting February 2, 2026, these finalists enter the Development Phase. Over the next three months, they will collaborate directly with experts from Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile US to refine their prototypes and prepare for the global stage.
The competition will culminate in a live pitch and award ceremony at the Telekom Headquarters in Bonn, Germany, on April 28 and 29, 2026. Here, teams will compete for a slice of the €300,000 (or U.S. equivalent) prize pool and the chance to transform their visions into real-world game-changers for millions of customers across Europe and the U.S.
Join Us in Shaping the Future
T Challenge 2026 is more than a competition—it is a transatlantically fueled engine for innovation. Stay tuned as we follow these 12 teams on their road to the finals in Bonn!
T Challenge Nominees 2026
AnyOPS
FiberBot – Autonomous Robotic Platform for Intelligent Network Maintenance
zTouch Networks
zTouch.OS: Intent-Driven Autonomous Network Management for Sustainable and Monetizable AI-RAN
Telorics
Telorics Agentic AI: Enabling Autonomous, Predictive, and Scalable Network Deployments
ValueGrid
Blacklight Network - Revealing hidden risks in autonomous networks
CUBIG
LLM Capsule: Real-time PII Guardrail & Audit Trail for Accelerated, Auditable AI Operations
LLM Capsule provides a real-time security layer for AI operations, ensuring PII protection and a comprehensive audit trail. By automating data masking and compliance monitoring, it allows telcos to bypass regulatory bottlenecks and accelerate AI deployment. It creates a secure environment for cross-border data collaboration and auditable autonomous processes.
Vigilent
AI-Driven Cooling Optimization
Vigilent is an AI-driven optimization solution that uses machine learning and sensors to dynamically control data center cooling. By matching environmental controls to the IT load in real-time, it ensures a perfect thermal environment while maximizing energy efficiency. This reduces operational risk and lowers carbon emissions by up to 50%.
Companion.energy
Transforming Telekom’s Network into an AI-Driven Virtual Power Plant
Daisytuner
Turbocharging AI Efficiency: Every Watt Counts
Stanford University
Knowledge-Driven Edge-Cloud Link for AI-Native Telecommunication
Excalibur
AI-Native Telco-Scale Secure Access: Inverting the Economics of Cyber Warfare
Authentic8 is an isolation-first Secure Access fabric that eliminates the network-layer attack surface by terminating sessions within operator infrastructure. Delivering only a visual stream to endpoints, it renders vulnerabilities irrelevant. This transforms cybersecurity into a high-margin managed service, reducing TCO while ensuring zero-day resistance at telco scale.
Spotlight
Agentic Network Security: AI That Fixes, Not Just Finds
SelfHack AI
AI Agentic Penetration Testing Platform
