Bharti Airtel Ltd. reported a strong financial performance for the first quarter of FY27, with consolidated net income (before exceptional items) rising 35.5% year-on-year (YoY) to ₹8,057 crore, supported by robust growth across its India and Africa businesses.
The telecom major posted consolidated revenue of ₹58,539 crore, marking an 18.4% YoY increase and a 5.7% sequential rise. Growth was driven by sustained momentum in India’s mobile, broadband, enterprise businesses, along with continued expansion in Africa.
Strong Growth Across India Operations
Bharti Airtel’s India business generated revenue of ₹41,214 crore, up 9.7% YoY.
Key business highlights include:
- Mobile revenue increased 9.2% YoY, supported by higher Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and growth in smartphone users.
- Homes business revenue surged 33.2% YoY, driven by strong broadband customer additions.
- Airtel Business revenue grew 12% YoY, led by digital services and enterprise connectivity solutions.
- Digital TV revenue increased 1.4% YoY, aided by IPTV adoption.
- Passive infrastructure services also registered 4.6% YoY growth.
Profitability Improves
Bharti Airtel reported:
- EBITDA: ₹33,599 crore (up 19.3% YoY)
- EBITDA Margin: 57.4%
- EBIT: ₹19,282 crore (up 23.4% YoY)
- Profit Before Tax: ₹14,126 crore (up 34.5% YoY)
The company’s balance sheet also strengthened significantly, with the Net Debt-to-EBITDA ratio improving to 1.17, compared to 1.70 a year ago.
Mobile Business Continues to Expand
Operational metrics remained strong during the quarter.
- ARPU improved to ₹264, compared to ₹250 in Q1 FY26.
- Airtel added 1 million postpaid subscribers, the highest quarterly addition in its history.
- Smartphone data customers increased by 21.1 million YoY.
- Mobile data usage rose 36% YoY to 34.4 GB per customer per month.
The company also expanded its network by deploying:
- 1,579 new towers
- 14,540 mobile broadband base stations
- 45,171 km of optical fibre over the last year.
Broadband, Enterprise and Africa Businesses Maintain Momentum
The Homes business added 473,000 customers during the quarter, taking the total customer base to 14.7 million.
Airtel Business continued to benefit from increasing enterprise demand for cloud, cybersecurity and digital connectivity solutions.
In Africa, Airtel ended the quarter with 189 million customers, while revenue grew 21.1% YoY in constant currency.
Airtel Raises Stake in Airtel Africa
During the quarter, Bharti Airtel completed an EPS-accretive share swap transaction, increasing its stake in Airtel Africa Plc to over 79%, reinforcing its long-term strategy for the African market.
Management Commentary
Executive Vice Chairman Gopal Vittal said the company delivered another quarter of strong operational and financial performance, driven by disciplined execution across businesses.
He highlighted continued growth in mobile, broadband and enterprise businesses, record postpaid customer additions, improving ARPU, and a stronger balance sheet supported by disciplined capital allocation.
Key Q1 FY27 Financial Snapshot
| Particulars | Q1 FY27 | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ₹58,539 crore | 18.4% |
| EBITDA | ₹33,599 crore | 19.3% |
| EBITDA Margin | 57.4% | +40 bps |
| Profit Before Tax | ₹14,126 crore | 34.5% |
| Net Income* | ₹8,057 crore | 35.5% |
| India Revenue | ₹41,214 crore | 9.7% |
| Mobile ARPU | ₹264 | ₹250 (Q1 FY26) |
| Total Customers | 680.9 million | 12.5% |
*Before exceptional items.
Source: NSE Filing
