Big Q3 for Airtel: Profits surge, debt falls as India and Africa deliver

For the third quarter of FY26, consolidated revenues stood at ₹53,982 crore, registering a growth of 19.6 per cent year-on-year and 3.5 per cent quarter-on-quarter. Consolidated EBITDA rose 25.2 per cent year-on-year to ₹31,144 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 57.7 per cent.

India revenues during the quarter came in at ₹39,226 crore, up 13.2 per cent year-on-year and 1.4 per cent sequentially. India mobile revenues grew 9.1 per cent year-on-year, driven by improved realisations and an expanding customer base. The company reported an average revenue per user (ARPU) of ₹259, compared to ₹245 in the same quarter last year.

Airtel continued to strengthen its leadership in the postpaid segment, adding 0.62 million customers during the quarter to reach a total base of 28.1 million. Smartphone data customers increased by 20.8 million over the past year, marking a 7.7 per cent year-on-year rise.

During the quarter, the company deployed 1,147 towers and 16,338 mobile broadband base stations. Over the first nine months of FY26, Airtel added 5,457 towers and laid approximately 30,000 kilometres of fibre to bolster its digital infrastructure.

The homes business posted strong momentum, recording a revenue growth of 32.6 per cent year-on-year. Airtel added 1.2 million homes customers during the quarter, taking the total base to 13.1 million. Airtel Business revenues rose 1.5 per cent sequentially.

During the quarter, Bharti Airtel entered into a strategic partnership with Google to set up India’s first Artificial Intelligence hub in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The initiative aims to accelerate AI adoption across the country and strengthen India’s digital ecosystem.

Airtel Business also secured a multi-year contract from the Indian Railway Security Operations Centre (IRSOC) to deliver round-the-clock cybersecurity services for the digital backbone of Indian Railways. Separately, the company partnered with IBM to enhance its Airtel Cloud offering, combining telco-grade infrastructure with advanced AI and cloud capabilities for enterprises in regulated sectors.

Digital TV revenues stood at ₹755 crore during the quarter, with the customer base at 15.4 million. The company said its IPTV service continued to see strong adoption. Airtel also expanded its entertainment portfolio with the exclusive launch of Airtel Cartoon Network Classics on Airtel Digital TV in collaboration with Warner Bros.

Consolidated EBIT grew 34.5 per cent year-on-year to ₹17,654 crore, while net income before exceptional items stood at ₹6,920 crore. The consolidated net debt-to-EBITDA ratio improved to 1.47 times, compared to 1.98 times a year ago, reflecting continued deleveraging.

Commenting on the results, Gopal Vittal, Executive Vice Chairman of Bharti Airtel, said the company delivered another strong quarter driven by balanced growth across India and Africa, robust customer additions, and sustained improvement in operating metrics.