Bharti Airtel reported a strong set of results for the fourth quarter of FY26, driven by continued premiumisation in its mobile business, rapid growth in the homes segment, and steady expansion across Africa. The telecom operator posted consolidated revenues of Rs 55,383 crore for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, registering a 15.7% year-on-year growth.

The company’s consolidated EBITDA stood at Rs 32,038 crore with margins improving to 57.8%, while net income before exceptional items came in at Rs 7,245 crore, up from Rs 5,223 crore in the same period last year. Airtel also reported a consolidated customer base of nearly 666 million users across 15 countries.

India continued to remain the primary growth engine for the company Airtel’s India business generated revenues of Rs 39,566 crore during the quarter, rising 7.7% year-on-year the growth was largely led by mobile tariff premiumisation, strong smartphone customer additions, and continued momentum in the connected homes segment.

Airtel’s ARPU Continues to Improve

One of the key highlights of the quarter was Airtel’s steady rise in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), which climbed to Rs 257 from Rs 245 reported a year ago. The operator said the improvement was driven by better customer mix, premium offerings, and rising smartphone penetration across its network.

The company added 20 million smartphone data customers on a year-on-year basis and 5.8 million customers sequentially during the quarter. Smartphone users now contribute nearly 80% of Airtel’s total mobile customer base. Bharti Airtel also added 0.8 million postpaid customers during the quarter, further strengthening its premium subscriber portfolio.

Mobile data consumption continued to rise sharply as well Airtel said average data usage increased by 32.8% year-on-year, reaching 31.4 GB per customer per month. The trend reflects growing demand for video streaming, social media usage, cloud applications, and AI-powered digital services across India.

Homes Business Delivers Another Strong Quarter

Airtel’s Homes business remained one of the fastest-growing segments for the company during Q4 FY26. Revenues from the segment rose 37.3% year-on-year as Airtel continued to aggressively expand its Wi-Fi footprint across multiple regions.

The company added approximately 1.1 million customers in the quarter, taking its total homes customer base to 14.2 million users. Airtel’s IPTV services also continued gaining traction as the operator pushed deeper convergence between broadband and entertainment services.

The rapid growth in the connected homes business comes at a time when telecom operators are increasingly focusing on high-value customers and bundled digital services. Bharti Airtel has been strengthening its fiber and fixed wireless access footprint to compete more aggressively in India’s broadband market.

Airtel Continues Heavy Investments in Network Expansion

Airtel maintained aggressive investments in digital infrastructure during the quarter. Capex stood at Rs 16,066 crore as the company accelerated 5G densification, fiber deployment, connected homes expansion, Airtel Business growth, and data center investments.

During Q4 FY26 alone, Airtel deployed 2,426 towers and 16,746 mobile broadband base stations. Over the full year, the company added 7,883 towers and deployed 43,290 kilometers of fiber infrastructure across its network.

The company also highlighted its efforts to reduce diesel dependence across operations in collaboration with Indus Towers. Airtel said it is increasingly transitioning toward high-powered batteries and alternate energy sources as part of its broader sustainability push.

Airtel Pushes Beyond Telecom

Apart from connectivity, Bharti Airtel continued expanding its digital and enterprise ambitions during the quarter. Airtel Business reported sequential revenue growth of 2.6%, supported by connectivity services and digital portfolio expansion.

The company also announced a collaboration with Google to improve messaging security and reduce spam through Rich Communication Services (RCS) integration combined with Airtel’s network intelligence in another major announcement, Airtel partnered with Zscaler to launch an AI and Cyber Threat Research Center in India aimed at strengthening cyber resilience and supporting trusted AI adoption across sectors.

Also Read: One Airtel Launched by Bharti Airtel as a New Bundled Service

Meanwhile, Airtel’s data center business also received a significant boost after the company announced a US$1 billion investment into Nxtra from investors including Alpha Wave Global, Carlyle, and Anchorage Capital.

Airtel Signals Further Tariff Repair Ahead

Despite reporting strong growth across key business segments, Airtel indicated that further tariff correction in the Indian telecom industry may still be required.

In his statement, Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said the company believes “further tariff repair remains critical” to support long-term investments and sustainable value creation.

The comments come at a time when Indian telecom operators continue investing heavily in 5G rollout, fiber infrastructure, AI systems, and digital services while attempting to improve return on capital.

Also Read: Bharti Airtel Adds Over 5 Million Wireless Subscribers in March 2026: TRAI Data

Airtel ended FY26 with strong momentum across mobile, broadband, enterprise, and digital infrastructure businesses with rising ARPU, growing smartphone penetration, strong homes business expansion, and continued infrastructure investments, the company appears focused on strengthening its premium positioning in India’s telecom market while simultaneously expanding its digital ecosystem.

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