Welcome to Connected Future Hackathon 2025

We see a connected future where technology adapts to people's needs and empowers everyone to thrive. And connectivity is at the very heart of that. 

In May, Telstra launched its Connected Future 30 strategy, and a vision for the future of connectivity through its Network as a Product.

One month later, Nokia and Telstra launched Network as a Code - giving developers secure access to network APIs to help build smarter applications and integrate them into advanced new use cases for enterprises and industries.

It's time to put it to the test. The Connected Future Hackathon is all about empowering developers to securely interact with Telstra's network, and create smart, scalable applications with real-world impact.

This hackathon is more than a competition, it's a launchpad for bold ideas, breakthrough technologies, and meaningful connections. Over the coming weeks, you'll collaborate with fellow innovators to tackle real-world challenges using a selection of network APIs and a sandbox environment to experiment with new ideas, powered by Nokia's Network as Code platform.

Whether it's streamlining business processes, preventing fraud, or digitising industries, your ideas will help define the next era of connectivity. You're not just prototyping or pitching, you're helping shape the possibilities of the future of connectivity.

Welcome to the moment. Let's build our digital future, together.

Hackathon Milestones


Open Registrations
22-Sep

Information Sessions
weekly in October

Commence building
20-Oct
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Finale teams announced
11-Nov
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Finale Day
18-Nov

Information Session 1 - 9th October 2025


If you missed our information session on 9th October 2025, please feel free to watch the video below for your information.

Information Session 2 - 16th October 2025


If you missed our information session on 16th October 2025, please feel free to watch the video below for your information.

What is available for developers?

For this hackathon, we encourage participants to make use of CAMARA networking APIs - CAMARA is an open-source Linux foundation project that defines and develops a set of industry-standard APIS for telecommunications networks to facilitate application and network integration. The full list of APIs can be found at https://github.com/camaraproject.

In conjunction with Nokia, we have created a sandbox environment where you can test out some of these APIs (test here) using mocked data and a small subset of MSISDNs (phone numbers). As these APIs are launched as purchasable products, usage of any real world data will be subject to Telstra's approval process vetting the scope and purpose of the request. End user consent will be managed according to https://www.telstra.com.au/privacy

Hackathon Finale Schedule - 18th November 2025

  Morning

9:00: Team arrival

9:30-10:30: Morning tea

11:00-12:00: Morning session

12:00-13:00: Lunch

Afternoon

13:00-13:30: Prelim round judging panel
   13:30-14:00: Calibration and              selection of finalists

14:00-14:30: Afternoon tea

15:00-15:30: Final round judging panel
  15:30-16:00: Finalists announced        and stage presentations

16:00-16:30: Wrap up


Know more about Nokia's Network as Code

Why is reimagining network as a product important?

Unrivalled Connectivity
Unique reach for developers to build on top of our assets
Business Model Innovation
New ways to collaborate and grow with NaaP
Sophisticated APIs
Advanced features for richer applications
Global Impact
APIs empower global businesses and developers

What does a good team look like?

 Diverse group of tech and Telstra professionals
     50+ Participants in Person
      A good mix of roles in a team — e.g. hackers, designers, developers, storytellers        

     Ideally teams of 3 are preferred but solo all-rounders are absolutely welcome
       This is a hybrid event — please make sure at least one team member is available to                       attend the finale day in Melbourne.

Good Submission - Key Criteria

A strong submission should address these points in your solution. Judges’ criteria will be made clear before the final deadlines.

 Solving for a real problem & Detailed Customer Personas
   Engaging pitch, marketable story, Wow factor
Utility of APIs demonstrated through technical proficiency
Path to commercialization, value potential, cost structure 

Executive Pitch Panel

Meet our esteemed judges, with a range of experiences across the telecommunications and technology sectors. They are super excited to hear the pitches of our hackers, hustlers and designers.

Contact Us

If you have any queries, please email us at: cfh2025@team.telstra.com

Information Session

For registered participants, please join our information sessions held on 9th October 2025 3:00pm to 3:25pm and 16th October 2025 3:00pm to 3:25pm. 

An email invitation has been sent to your registered email. Recordings are available here on the portal.

Location

Finale day will be held in this location: Level 2, 242 Exhibition Street Melbourne 3000

Frequently Asked Questions

What is NaaP?

NaaP (Network as a Product) is Telstra’s product that exposes network capabilities as programmable APIs, enabling developers and enterprises to build intelligent, secure, and connected solutions.

What is the NaaP Hackathon?

A collaborative event hosted by Telstra muru-D and Nokia, where teams use Telstra’s network APIs to build innovative solutions across three themes: Business Processes, Fraud Prevention, Industry Digitisation and General.

Who can participate?

Telstra employees, startups, partners, university students, and industry peers from around the world are welcome to join. But make sure one team member is available to attend the finale day in Melbourne in person.

How do I join a team?

Ideally, teams of 3+ members are preferred — but solo all-rounders are absolutely welcome!

What are the prizes?

A $10,000 AUD cash prize for the winning team, plus potential incubation opportunities with muru-D and visibility across Telstra platforms.

Where can I ask questions?

Reach out via cfh2025@team.telstra.com

How do I choose if I want to be an individual or a team leader?

To create an entry and invite team members, a user can submit an idea as individual, or as a team, in which case the team dropdown box opens and they can click invite team members based on who has made themselves available. The user is now the team leader.

How can I make myself available to join a team?

To make yourself available to join a team, a user can click Unavailable/Available toggle on the hackathon homepage.

How can I request to join a team?

To request to join a team, a user can click ‘Browse’, open an idea that sounds interesting for them to work on, and click ‘Request to Join Team’, upon which the team leader will receive a message in their portal inbox. The team leader will receive an email notification to join the team, which the team leader can accept or reject in the 'Applicants’ tab of their idea.

How do we access the Nokia API?

Please go to:

Nokia API Portal

Sign up with email address + preferred 2FA method.

In the top right tool bar, navigate to
Api Catalog
Find -> Telstra Hackathon APIs
Click on "Go to Playground"

To test any of the 8 apis, try using a mobile phone number in the range +61400500800 to +61400500999 (the platform has been populated with mock data for these phone numbers for participants to test and build with).

Contact the Telstra team at cfh2025@team.telstra.com if facing any difficulties.
One common issue is having an account that is not setup in the correct organisation. This is searchable in the toolbar at the top of the page. To access the apis the user needs to be in "Connected-Future-Hackathon-25 (Org)

Are the videos displaying properly?

Some people have reported seeing a ‘video player configuration error’ on the video widget. The video should still work. Click on the Youtube link to play the video.

Where can I find the teams?

Head to "Browse Teams", you will see all the existing teams.

How can I get enrolled in the mailing list?

Register as a particiapant, you will be added to our mailing list soon.

How to submit your solution for R1 ?

Please navigate to Browse Team, where you'll see only your team's submission. Click on your submission and complete the R1 fields under the Development section.

Thank you