Telangana has reached out to Elon Musk-owned Starlink, inviting the satellite internet company to consider Hyderabad as a location for a global capability centre (GCC), as the state sharpens its pitch to multinational technology firms. Senior government officials said the outreach is part of a broader effort to position Hyderabad as a leading hub for global engineering, technology, and innovation operations, even as they acknowledged that satellite internet may have stronger relevance for institutional and enterprise use cases than for mass consumer markets already well served by affordable 5G.
Officials noted that while consumer connectivity in India is increasingly dominated by low-cost, high-speed terrestrial networks, satellite internet could play a complementary role for enterprises, remote infrastructure, disaster recovery, and specialised institutional needs. Against this backdrop, Telangana sees potential value in engaging with companies like Starlink not just as service providers, but as long-term technology partners with an on-ground presence.
Starlink is not the only global player in Telangana’s sights. The state is also in discussions with T-Mobile as part of its wider strategy to attract more global capability centres. Government representatives highlighted that Telangana has already emerged as one of India’s top destinations for greenfield GCCs, overtaking Karnataka in terms of new set-ups. This shift has further strengthened Hyderabad’s standing on India’s technology investment map, particularly for advanced engineering, software development, and digital services operations.
At the same time, developments within Starlink’s satellite programme are drawing global attention. The company is planning to reduce the operating altitude of its satellites from roughly 550 kilometres to around 480 kilometres beginning in 2026. This move follows a recent on-orbit incident that triggered renewed scrutiny around satellite safety and the growing risk of space debris. The planned change has sparked online debate, with some observers questioning whether space safety concerns or ambitions around satellite-to-cell services are the primary driver.
Experts, however, caution that satellite-to-cell connectivity, while promising, cannot fully replace terrestrial mobile networks, particularly in dense urban markets. Instead, it is expected to serve as a supplementary layer for coverage gaps and specialised scenarios.
For Telangana, the outreach to Starlink reflects a pragmatic approach—leveraging global space and telecom innovation while continuing to build Hyderabad’s reputation as a preferred base for multinational technology and engineering operations.
