Bharti Airtel Q3 Results: Net Profit Jumps 25.5% YoY, Revenue Up Nearly 20% on Strong India & Africa Business

Bharti Airtel, one of India's largest telecommunications service providers, reported a strong set of financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025 (Q3 FY26), marking its seventh consecutive quarter of profit growth. The company benefited from steady subscriber additions, continued upgrades to higher-value plans, and robust performance across both its India and Africa operations.

Bharti Airtel Q3 Results Today: Airtel Q3 FY26 Profit Jumps 25.5% YoY Despite Absence of Exceptional Gains

For the December quarter, Bharti Airtel posted a consolidated net profit before exceptional items of Rs 6,920 crore, registering a sharp 25.5 percent increase compared with the same period last year. Profit before tax rose 34.4 percent year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 12,558 crore, up from Rs 9,346 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous fiscal.

The year-ago quarter had included a net exceptional gain of Rs 7,550 crore, primarily due to the revaluation of Airtel's stake in telecom infrastructure firm Indus Towers.

Airtel Posts 19.6% YoY Revenue Growth in Q3 FY26 as EBITDA Surges 25.2%

Consolidated total revenue for the quarter grew 19.6 percent year-on-year to Rs 53,982 crore, according to the company's stock exchange filing. On a sequential basis, revenue rose 3.5 percent, reflecting continued momentum in the core telecom business. EBITDA increased 25.2 percent year-on-year to Rs 31,144 crore, while the EBITDA margin expanded to 57.7 percent from 55.1 percent a year earlier.

Sequentially, EBITDA rose 4.1 percent, with margins improving by 30 basis points. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) stood at Rs 17,654 crore, up 34.5 percent year-on-year, with the EBIT margin improving to 32.7 percent.

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Airtel's India business continued to be a key growth driver during the quarter. Revenue from India operations rose 7.8 percent YoY to Rs 39,225 crore. The company said mobile data consumption remained strong, with total data traffic on its network growing 29.2 percent compared with the year-ago period. The sustained rise in data usage and customer migration to premium plans supported average revenue per user and overall profitability.

The Africa business also delivered a resilient performance. Airtel Africa reported revenue of $1.593 billion for the quarter, supported by strong growth in constant currency terms. The customer base in Africa expanded to 179.4 million, marking a 10.0 percent year-on-year increase. Data services and Airtel Money continued to see healthy traction, underlining the strategic importance of the region in Airtel's long-term growth plans.

As of the end of the December quarter, Bharti Airtel's overall customer base stood at around 645 million across 15 countries. The company continued to invest heavily in strengthening its network and digital capabilities, with capital expenditure during the quarter amounting to Rs 11,787 crore. These investments, Airtel said, are aimed at supporting future data demand, improving service quality and expanding digital services.

Sequentially, net profit before exceptional items increased 1.9 percent over the September quarter.