Hyderabad: the location brief

What this guide is for

Use this brief to orient a location decision for a Global Capability Centre in Hyderabad. It sets out what the Telangana government says about the market, what is a notified policy and what is only announced, and what published data says about talent, offices, transport and the labour-law texture. It does not rank Hyderabad against other cities, recommend a developer, broker or provider, or replace legal advice. Every figure carries a source; where that source is a news report, the claim is what the outlet reported.

What the city is known for in this market

The Telangana Socio Economic Outlook 2026, as reported by Deccan Chronicle, states that Hyderabad hosts about 20 percent of India's GCCs and attracted 40 new GCCs in 2025 to October. Siasat reported on 17 September 2026, citing state IT and Industries Department officials, that Telangana crossed 500 GCCs after adding 75 in 2025-26 and that GCC-linked employment in Hyderabad is about 4 lakh. Counting bases differ: in February 2025 the STPI Hyderabad director was reported citing 110 GCCs in the state. Ask which definition a number uses before comparing.

State policy posture

Policy. The Department of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications describes the current framework as the 2nd ICT Policy 2021-26 on its investor page, with a target of INR 3 lakh crore of IT exports and 10 lakh jobs. The department's downloads page carries the ICT Policy Framework 2016 and two other 2016 policies as PDFs. At the time of writing it did not list the 2021-26 policy or any GCC-specific policy. The Socio Economic Outlook 2026 is published by the Telangana Legislature.

Announced. Siasat reported that a new Telangana GCC policy is in draft, focused on AI, space, semiconductors, quantum computing and advanced life sciences rather than broad incentives. The same report quotes IT and Industries Minister D. Sridhar Babu: the ambition is to add 100 more GCCs, creating 1 lakh direct and 3 lakh indirect jobs. Deccan Chronicle reported, from the Socio Economic Outlook 2026, a GCC strategy for 2025-30 aiming at 15 million sq ft of Grade A office space by 2030 and expansion to Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad. None of this is a notified policy yet.

Talent base

The department's investor page states IT and ITeS employment of 9,05,715 in FY2022-23, up 16.29 percent. Telangana Today reported the minister's FY2023-24 figures as 9.5 lakh employed and about 45,000 net jobs added, on IT exports of INR 2.70 lakh crore, up 11.28 percent. On supply, the All India Survey on Higher Education 2021-22, as reported by The South First, counts 2,083 colleges in Telangana at 52 per lakh population. That counts all colleges, not engineering alone; no government figure for annual engineering graduates was fetchable. See notes.

Commercial real estate

Hyderabad's office market sits mostly in the west: HITEC City and Madhapur, Gachibowli, the Financial District at Nanakramguda, and Kokapet.

Knight Frank India's H1 2026 report, as reported by The Hans India on 11 July 2026, put first-half leasing at 7.5 million sq ft, up 29 percent year on year, with GCCs taking 3.4 million sq ft or 45 percent. The average transacted rent was INR 80 per sq ft per month, up 7 percent, and vacancy 11.5 percent. Cushman & Wakefield's Hyderabad MarketBeat for Q2 2026 reports gross leasing of 2.1 million sq ft in the quarter and 5.2 million sq ft in the half, up 25 percent, with GCCs at 37 percent of quarterly leasing, Gachibowli the most active corridor followed by Madhapur, and citywide vacancy of 19.1 percent. The two vacancy figures differ because the firms define stock differently. No fetched brokerage page gave micro-market rent ranges, so none are claimed. See notes.

Infrastructure and mobility

Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited states that Phase 1 covers about 69 km across three corridors and 60 stations: Red Line Miyapur to LB Nagar, 29 km, 27 stations; Green Line JBS to MGBS, 11.2 km, 10 stations; Blue Line Nagole to Raidurg, 29 km, 23 stations. The first stretch opened on 29 November 2017. The Blue Line ends at Raidurg.

Announced. HMRL's Phase II page lists Phase II(A) as five corridors of 76.4 km at INR 24,269 crore, including Corridor IV from Nagole to Shamshabad airport, 36.8 km, and Corridor V from Raidurg to Kokapet Neopolis, 11.6 km, submitted to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs on 4 November 2024. Phase II(B) adds three corridors of 86.1 km at INR 19,579 crore, submitted on 21 June 2025. The page shows neither as approved by the Union government.

GMR Airports reported record FY26 cargo of about 1.87 lakh metric tonnes at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, as reported by Whalesbook. A British Aviation Group note of March 2026, citing Telangana Tribune, reported about 31 million passengers and a terminal expansion due to complete by 2027. Treat the passenger figure as reported, not confirmed.

Operating texture

• Policy. G.O.Ms.No. 25 of 25 July 2019 exempted IT and ITES establishments from sections 15, 16, 21, 23 and 31 of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act 1988, which cover opening and closing hours, working hour limits, young persons, women's employment and holidays, for five years from 30 May 2018, as summarised by TeamLease RegTech.
• Policy. G.O.Ms.No. 5 of 7 June 2024 extended the same exemption for four years from 30 May 2024, as summarised by Complinity and Trilegal. Conditions keep a 48-hour week with overtime pay, a weekly day off and compensatory paid holidays. For women and young persons on night shifts they require transport with verified drivers, route monitoring, a control room and added security before 6 am and after 8 pm. Non-compliance can revoke the exemption without notice.
• The current exemption runs to 30 May 2028. Plan for its renewal.

Policy, announced, or neither

• Policy: the 2nd ICT Policy 2021-26 as described by the department; the 2019 and 2024 Shops Act exemption orders; Metro Phase 1.
• Announced: the draft GCC policy; the 100-GCC and 15 million sq ft goals; Metro Phase II(A) and II(B); the airport terminal expansion.
• Neither: a single authoritative GCC count; any micro-market rent not taken from a named report.

Check before you rely on this

1. Whether the new Telangana GCC policy has been notified, and what replaces the 2021-26 ICT policy when it lapses.
2. Union approval and construction status of Metro Phase II(A), especially the airport and Kokapet corridors.
3. The latest quarterly rent and vacancy figures. The ones above are H1 and Q2 2026.