Bharti Airtel Q1 profit jumps 43% YoY to ₹5,948 cr, ARPU at ₹250
Mumbai: Bharti Airtel on Tuesday reported a 43% year-on-year rise in consolidated net profit at ₹5,948 crore for the first quarter of FY26, compared to ₹4,159 crore in the same period last year The Economic Times reported.
However, the figure fell short of Street estimates pegged at ₹6,400 crore, the report said.
Revenue from operations stood at ₹49,463 crore, marking a 28% increase YoY from ₹38,506 crore, and exceeding projections of ₹48,880 crore. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the topline was up 3.3% from ₹47,876 crore in Q4FY25.
The telecom major reported an average revenue per user (ARPU) of ₹250 in Q1FY26, up from ₹211 a year ago, reflecting its ongoing strategy of portfolio premiumisation and a higher smartphone user base.
The company attributed the growth to a robust performance in India and a recovery in Africa, aided by reported currency gains.
India business posted revenues of ₹37,585 crore, up 29% YoY and 2.3% QoQ, driven by improved realisations in the mobile segment and continued momentum in the homes business, which saw a 25.7% YoY revenue rise.
The India mobile services division reported 21.6% YoY growth, fuelled by ARPU improvement and a steady increase in smartphone customers.
However, Airtel Business saw a 7.7% YoY revenue decline, which the company attributed to portfolio restructuring and the exit from low-margin segments. It clarified that the underlying performance remains stable.
Digital TV revenues dipped 1.8% YoY, while Passive Infrastructure Services saw a 4.3% QoQ uptick due to the addition of 2,500 sites during the quarter.
Net customer additions hit a record high of 9.39 lakh, bolstered by growth in FTTH (fibre to the home) and FWA (fixed wireless access) services.
Consolidated EBITDA stood at ₹28,167 crore, with a margin of 56.9%. India operations contributed ₹22,352 crore to EBITDA, with the margin rising 598 bps YoY to 59.5%.
Africa business performance (in constant currency):
Revenue rose 24.9% YoY
EBITDA margin expanded to 48.1%, up 292 bps YoY
EBIT margin at 31.4%, up 244 bps YoY
Customer base at 169 million
Capex for the quarter stood at ₹1,034 crore
Management commentary
Gopal Vittal, Vice-Chairman and MD, said Airtel posted yet another quarter of consistent growth.
“Our India revenue, including Passive Infrastructure Services, increased by 2.3% sequentially. Africa reported solid performance with 6.7% growth in constant currency,” he said.
He added, “We added 4 million smartphone data customers and maintained an industry-leading ARPU of ₹250 for Q1FY26. Our balance sheet continues to demonstrate strength, supported by solid cash flow generation and disciplined capital allocation.”
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