Airtel Q3 Results: Revenue Jumps 19.6%, ARPU and Margins Rise
Bharti Airtel delivered a strong December-quarter performance, underscoring its ability to grow profitably even as India’s telecom market matures.
The telecom major reported consolidated revenue of ₹53,982 crore, up 19.6% year-on-year, driven by sustained momentum across India, Africa and its homes business. EBITDA rose 25.2% to ₹31,144 crore, with margins expanding to a robust 57.7%, signalling improved operating leverage.
Net income before exceptional items climbed to ₹6,920 crore, from ₹5,514 crore a year earlier.
In India, Airtel’s core business continued to gain strength. Quarterly revenues grew 13.2% to ₹39,226 crore, while mobile revenues rose 9.1%, supported by higher customer realisations and a growing base of smartphone users. ARPU increased to ₹259, up from ₹245 a year ago, reflecting Airtel’s steady focus on premiumisation rather than price-led growth.
Smartphone data users rose by 20.8 million over the past year and now account for nearly 79% of Airtel’s mobile customer base. Postpaid services also gained traction, with 620,000 net additions during the quarter.
The homes business emerged as a standout performer, posting 32.6% year-on-year revenue growth. Net additions hit a record 1.159 million, taking Airtel’s home customer base to 13.1 million, aided by network expansion and deeper penetration in key markets.
Africa continued to reinforce Airtel’s growth story. The region reported constant-currency revenue growth of 24.7%, with EBITDA margins improving to 49.3%, reflecting stronger execution and operating efficiencies across markets.
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Beyond core telecom, Airtel used the quarter to sharpen its technology ambitions. The company entered into a strategic partnership with Google to set up India’s first AI hub in Visakhapatnam, aimed at accelerating AI adoption and strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure. Separately, a partnership with IBM will bolster Airtel Cloud, enabling enterprises—particularly in regulated sectors—to scale AI workloads securely across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
“Our balance sheet strength, reinforced by strong cash generation and sustained deleveraging, positions us well to invest in new growth opportunities,” said Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel.
The quarter makes one thing clear: Airtel is no longer chasing scale alone—it is signalling confidence in a model built on pricing power, margins and future-facing technology bets.
(With inputs from ANI)