Bharti Airtel delivered exceptional financial performance in Q3FY26, reporting consolidated revenue of ₹53,982 crore with strong year-over-year growth of 19.6% and sequential growth of 3.5%. The telecommunications giant demonstrated robust operational efficiency across both India and Africa markets, with profit before exceptional item reaching ₹126 billion compared to ₹93.5 billion in the previous year, marking a significant 34.8% year-over-year growth.

Financial Performance Overview

The company's consolidated performance showed remarkable strength across key financial metrics during the quarter, though exceptional items impacted the final profit figures:

India Business Drives Performance

The India operations contributed significantly to overall growth, with revenues reaching ₹39,226 crore, representing 13.2% year-over-year growth. India Mobile revenue increased 9.1% YoY, driven by ARPU improvement to ₹259 compared to ₹245 in Q3FY25. The company added 4.4 million customers during the quarter, with smartphone data customers increasing by 20.8 million YoY and 5.2 million QoQ, now accounting for 79% of total mobile customers.

Record Performance in Homes Segment

The Homes business delivered outstanding results with revenue growth of 32.6% YoY, crossing a quarterly revenue run-rate of ₹2,000 crore. The segment achieved record quarterly net customer additions of 1.2 million customers, reaching a total customer base of 13.1 million. This performance was supported by deeper coverage and market expansion initiatives.

Operational Excellence and Strategic Partnerships

During the quarter, Bharti Airtel strengthened its infrastructure by deploying 1,147 towers and 16,338 mobile broadband base stations. The company entered into strategic partnerships with Google to establish India's first AI hub in Visakhapatnam and with IBM to augment its Airtel Cloud services. Additionally, Airtel Business secured a multi-year contract from Indian Railway Security Operations Centre (IRSOC) for comprehensive cybersecurity services.

Customer Base and Market Position

The company's total customer base reached approximately 645 million across 15 countries, with India contributing 466 million customers and Africa 179 million customers. The postpaid segment maintained steady growth with net additions of 0.62 million customers, reaching a total base of 28.1 million. Mobile data consumption increased by 29.2% YoY to 29.8 GB per customer per month.

Financial Strength Despite Exceptional Items

While the company reported strong profit before exceptional item of ₹126 billion, an exceptional item of ₹26 billion impacted the final profit figures. Consolidated Net Debt to EBITDA ratio improved to 1.47 times compared to 1.98 times as of December 31, 2024. The Net Debt (excluding lease obligations) to EBITDAaL ratio stands at 1.02 times, reflecting strong balance sheet management and sustained deleveraging.

Bharti Airtel Limited recorded a substantial block trade on the National Stock Exchange (NSE), highlighting significant institutional activity in the telecommunications major's shares.

Block Trade Details

The transaction details reveal the scale and pricing of this institutional trade:

Market Significance

Block trades represent large-volume transactions typically executed by institutional investors, mutual funds, or other significant market participants. These trades are conducted outside the regular market to avoid impacting the stock's market price during execution. The execution price of Rs. 2006.40 per share reflects the prevailing market conditions at the time of the transaction.

Such substantial trading activity often indicates strategic portfolio adjustments by institutional investors or potential changes in shareholding patterns. The transaction size of Rs. 52.75 crores demonstrates the continued interest of large investors in Bharti Airtel's equity.