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Bharti Airtel reported a strong performance for Q1 FY26, with consolidated revenues rising 28.5% year-on-year to ₹49,463 crore, led by solid growth in India and Africa. The telecom giant recorded a 41.2% YoY jump in EBITDA to ₹28,167 crore, with EBITDA margins at 56.9%, while net income (before exceptional items) stood at ₹5,948 crore. India mobile revenues grew 21.6% YoY, with average revenue per user (ARPU) climbing to ₹250. Airtel added 0.7 million postpaid users and 21.3 million smartphone data users during the quarter. The homes business saw record additions of 939K customers, taking the base to 11 million, while Digital TV base reached 15.7 million. The overall customer base stands at 605 million across 15 countries. The company launched new prepaid packs bundling OTT platforms like Netflix and Zee5, and expanded its fixed wireless and fibre networks aggressively. Airtel’s net debt to EBITDA (annualized) improved to 1.70x, underlining its strong financial discipline and operational efficiency.
In a statement, Gopal Vittal, Vice- Chairman and MD, said, “We delivered another quarter of consistent growth, with consolidated revenues at 49,463 crores growing 3.3% on a sequential basis. Our India revenue, including Passive Infrastructure Services, increased by 2.3% sequentially. Africa reported solid performance with 6.7% growth in constant currency.
India Mobile business recorded a sequential growth of 2.9%, driven by continued focus on portfolio premiumization and an additional day in the quarter. We added ~4 million smartphone data customers and maintained an industry-leading Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) of Rs. 250 for Q1FY26.
Our Homes business reported solid performance with a lifetime high quarterly net additions of 939K, resulting in a sequential revenue growth of 7.6%. Our IPTV expansion is ramping up well with strong acceptance from customers as it delivers superior experience and convenience. Airtel Business revenue decline is reflecting full impact of portfolio restructuring undertaken last year. The underlying growth trajectory remains steady at a sequential growth of 2.0 % with continued improvement in funnel and orderbook.
Our digital network across India and Africa now serves over 600 million customers. This is a testament to our passion for connecting customers through sustained investments and superior customer experience. Our balance sheet continues to demonstrate strength, supported by solid cash flow generation and disciplined capital allocation.”
