Bharti Airtel , one of India's leading telecommunications service providers, has announced its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, showcasing robust growth across key metrics.

Revenue and Profitability

The company reported consolidated revenues of Rs 52,145.00 crore for Q2 FY26, marking a significant 25.7% year-on-year increase. This growth was driven by strong performance in both India and Africa operations.

Bharti Airtel's consolidated EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization) stood at Rs 29,919.00 crore, representing a 35.9% year-on-year growth. The EBITDA margin improved to 57.4%, up from 56.8% in the same quarter last year.

Net income (before exceptional items) saw a substantial rise, reaching Rs 6,792.00 crore compared to Rs 3,911.00 crore in Q2 FY25, reflecting a 73.6% year-on-year increase.

Operational Highlights

India Operations

India revenues grew by 22.6% year-on-year to Rs 38,690.00 crore. The mobile services segment in India reported a 13.2% year-on-year revenue increase, driven by ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) improvement and continued growth in smartphone data customer acquisition.

Key operational metrics for India include:

Africa Operations

Airtel Africa delivered another quarter of strong performance with constant currency revenue growth of 24.2% year-on-year. The EBITDA margin for Africa operations improved to 48.8%, up 238 basis points year-on-year.

Strategic Initiatives

During the quarter, Bharti Airtel announced several strategic initiatives:

1. Partnership with Perplexity: Airtel is offering a complimentary 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro for all its 360 million customers, valued at Rs 17,000.00 per year.

2. Launch of Airtel Cloud: Xtelify, Airtel's digital arm, introduced a sovereign, telco-grade cloud platform to meet the evolving needs of businesses in India.

3. Anti-fraud measures: The company reported a 68.7% decrease in financial losses and a 14.3% drop in cybercrime incidents on its network, as per data from the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre.

Financial Position

Bharti Airtel maintains a strong balance sheet with a consolidated Net Debt to EBITDA ratio (annualized) of 1.63 times as of September 30, 2025, compared to 2.50 times a year ago. The Net Debt (excluding lease obligations) to EBITDAaL ratio (annualized) stands at 1.19 times.

Management Commentary

Gopal Vittal, Vice-Chairman and MD of Bharti Airtel, commented on the results: "We delivered another quarter of solid performance, achieving a consolidated revenue of ₹52,145 crore growing 5.4% sequentially and underscoring the strength of our portfolio. Our India revenue, including Passive Infrastructure Services, increased by 2.9%. Africa delivered another quarter of standout performance with constant currency revenue growth of 7.1%."

Vittal also highlighted the company's focus on quality customers and premiumization of its portfolio, which has led to an industry-leading ARPU of ₹256 in the India Mobile business.

The strong Q2 FY26 results demonstrate Bharti Airtel's resilience and ability to capitalize on the growing demand for digital services across its markets. The company's strategic initiatives and focus on operational excellence position it well for continued growth in the evolving telecommunications landscape.

Bharti Airtel Limited delivered quarterly results that exceeded analyst expectations across key metrics. The company reported consolidated revenue of Rs 40,011.00 crores for Q2 and Rs 1,01,608.00 crores for the six months ended September 30. Consolidated net profit reached Rs 3,593.00 crores for Q2 and Rs 7,421.00 crores for the six-month period. The company's consolidated profit before tax stood at Rs 12,381.00 crores for Q2.

The company's strong performance was driven by growth across its business segments:

Mobile Services India

• Revenue increased to Rs 28,118.00 crores in Q2
• EBITDA margin expanded to 60.3% from 57.1% in the previous year
• Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) rose to Rs 256.00 from Rs 233.00 in the previous year
• 4G/5G data customers grew by 22.2 million year-over-year to 285.8 million

Homes Services

• Revenue surged 30.2% year-over-year to Rs 1,865.00 crores
• Added 951,000 new customers, reaching a total base of 11.9 million

Airtel Business

• Revenue increased to Rs 5,276.00 crores for the quarter

Africa Operations

• Mobile Services Africa contributed Rs 13,680.00 crores in Q2
• EBITDA margin improved to 48.8% from 46.5% in the previous year

Gopal Vittal, Vice-Chairman and MD, commented on the results: "We delivered another quarter of solid performance, achieving a consolidated revenue of ₹52,145 crore growing 5.4% sequentially and underscoring the strength of our portfolio. Our India revenue, including Passive Infrastructure Services, increased by 2.9%. Africa delivered another quarter of standout performance with constant currency revenue growth of 7.1%."

The company continued to invest in its network, adding 2,479 towers and 20,841 mobile broadband base stations during the quarter. Bharti Airtel's consolidated net debt to EBITDA ratio (annualized) improved to 1.63 times compared to 2.50 times in the previous year.

Notably, Bharti Airtel's consolidated net debt excluding lease obligations decreased to Rs 1.27 trillion in Q2, down from Rs 1.45 trillion in the same period last year. This represents a year-over-year reduction of Rs 180.00 billion in the company's debt position.

Bharti Airtel also announced a partnership with Perplexity to offer a complimentary 12-month subscription to Perplexity Pro for all its mobile, homes, and digital TV customers, enhancing its value proposition in the competitive telecom market.

The Board approved these audited results in their meeting. Basic earnings per share stood at Rs 10.25 for Q2 and Rs 21.83 for the six-month period.