Bharti Airtel Q1 Results: Profit Jumps 35.5%, Revenue Climbs 18.4% as India and Africa Businesses Drive Growth

Airtel's operating performance also remained strong during the quarter. Consolidated EBITDA stood at Rs 33,599 crore, up 19.3% compared with a year ago and 4.9% higher than the March quarter. The company's EBITDA margin improved to 57.4%, indicating that profitability remained healthy even as it continued investing in expanding its network and digital services.

India continued to remain Airtel's biggest revenue contributor. Revenue from the domestic business rose to Rs 41,214 crore, reflecting 9.7% annual growth and 4.2% sequential growth. India EBITDA came in at Rs 24,781 crore, with the business maintaining a strong EBITDA margin of 60.1%.

Airtel's Higher-Paying Customers Continue to Boost Earnings

One of the biggest positives in the June quarter was the continued improvement in Airtel's Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), a key measure of how much revenue the company earns from each mobile customer.

ARPU increased to Rs 264, compared with Rs 250 in the corresponding quarter last year, suggesting that customers are increasingly opting for higher-value plans and consuming more mobile data.

The telecom operator also added 21.1 million smartphone data customers over the past year. A growing smartphone user base generally translates into higher data usage and creates additional opportunities for broadband, digital content, financial services and other value-added offerings.

Postpaid, Broadband and Enterprise Businesses Maintain Strong Momentum

Airtel continued to strengthen its premium customer base during the quarter by recording its highest-ever quarterly postpaid net additions of one million subscribers. Postpaid customers typically contribute higher monthly spending and provide more stable revenues for telecom companies.

The company's Homes business, which includes broadband services, remained one of the fastest-growing segments. Revenue from this business increased 33.2% year-on-year, supported by rising demand for high-speed internet across households.

Airtel Business, which provides connectivity and digital solutions to enterprises, government organisations and corporate clients, also delivered healthy growth. Revenue from the segment increased 12% compared with the same period last year, reflecting continued demand for enterprise communication and digital infrastructure services.

Across all its operations, Bharti Airtel's customer base expanded to 681 million subscribers across 15 countries, reinforcing its position as one of the world's largest telecom operators.

Airtel Africa Continues to Strengthen Growth Story

The Africa business remained another major contributor to Airtel's quarterly performance. During the quarter, the company completed a share swap transaction that increased its stake in Airtel Africa Plc to more than 79%. Airtel said the transaction is expected to enhance earnings per share over time.

The Africa business recorded 21.1% year-on-year revenue growth in constant currency terms, indicating healthy underlying business performance after excluding the impact of currency fluctuations across African markets.

The company believes its diversified presence across mobile services, data and mobile money businesses continues to support long-term growth in the region.