⚡️ Continuing our review of the winners of the Innovation Workshop 2026! Today we introduce you to the team that created the concept of PocketNet — a compact device that makes mobile internet more stable. From problem to idea “A familiar situation: you’re on a train, working on the go, or on a call with colleagues — and at the most inconvenient moment, your mobile internet becomes unstable,” the team says. “One operator loses signal, another works better in that spot, but switching between them usually means a dropped call, a frozen video, or a lost gaming session. We started with a simple question: why should the user have to decide when one network has gotten worse and it’s time to switch to another?” That’s how the PocketNet concept emerged: the device combines several mobile connections and chooses on its own which one is best to use at any given moment. For the user, everything looks as simple as possible — they connect to a single Wi-Fi network and keep using the internet, even if the connection quality of individual operators changes. What users say The team tested the idea not only on themselves. In a study among ordinary mobile internet users, 71% of respondents said they would be willing to pay for such a device. Separately, the team talked to gamers — an audience for whom even a brief connection drop is especially noticeable. 88% of respondents had experienced losing a session or being kicked out of a game when manually switching between networks. These results helped the team understand that the problem isn’t limited to travelers: a stable connection matters for remote work, video calls, streaming, gaming, and other services where even a few seconds without internet makes a difference. From concept to working prototype During the Innovation Workshop, the idea turned into a working experimental prototype. The team was able to demonstrate how PocketNet connects to multiple mobile networks, assesses connection quality, and automatically switches the channel in use. At the same time, the goal wasn’t just to show the technology, but to understand whether real people actually need such a product. So, in parallel with development, the team talked to users, telecom industry experts, and potential partners. What the team is proud of “That we managed to go from an idea to a working experimental prototype in a month. We learned to prioritize quickly and make decisions under time constraints, and also to listen to the user and test hypotheses on real people, not just in theory.” What’s next The next step is to turn the experimental prototype into a compact, convenient device that can be taken on a trip, to university, or to work. The team is also considering a partnership model for developing the project. Representatives of the telecom industry have already shown interest in PocketNet. “The idea behind PocketNet is simple: let the networks change — the user’s connection should remain stable.” We wish the team the best of luck and will continue to follow their progress! ✨ Skoltech is part of the VEB.RF group.