Digital Communication Innovation Square
Milestone-based grants for indigenous telecom and ICT products — ₹50 lakh for startups, up to ₹10 crore for larger technology products.
What you get
Startups up to ₹50 lakh · MSMEs up to ₹2 crore · technology products up to ₹10 crore
Nodal ministry
Department of Telecommunications (DoT)
Support type
Grant
Best suited for
Prototype / PoC · Seed / Early Stage
Typical timeline
Milestone-based release; applications through the DCIS portal
What this scheme actually is
DCIS funds the complete value chain of telecom product innovation — research, design, development, proof-of-concept testing, IPR creation, pilot project and manufacturing. It is one of the few schemes that scales the cheque with the entity type, so an MSME building a substantial telecom product can access far more than the startup ceiling suggests.
What the scheme sets out to do
Who can apply
What you get
How to apply, step by step
- 1
Determine which ceiling you qualify for
Startup, MSME or major technology product — the classification drives everything. Udyam registration is what makes the MSME ceiling accessible.
- 2
Verify the 51% Indian ownership condition
Over 51% must be held by Indian citizens, NRIs or OCIs, with headquarters in India.
- 3
Build a milestone-structured proposal
DCIS releases against milestones. Define technical deliverables, testing gates and IPR outcomes precisely — vague milestones stall disbursement later.
- 4
Apply on dcis.dot.gov.in
Applications and tracking run through the DoT DCIS portal.
- 5
Complete testing and IPR milestones
Telecom products face certification and testing requirements. Budget time and money for TEC certification where applicable.
What we actually do on a DCIS mandate
Services this usually needs
No consultant can guarantee a sanction — that decision sits with the evaluating committee, bank or incubator. We commit to an honest eligibility view, an application built to the evaluator’s format, filing inside the window and a documented follow-up cadence. That is stated in every engagement letter we sign.