Bharti Airtel recorded significant gains across all its units in the fiscal third quarter of 2025 (ending December 31, 2024), with net profit soaring nearly fivefold, driven by an exceptional gain from Indus Towers, which became its subsidiary in November 2024.
The telecom giant reported a net profit of $1.7 billion, bolstered by a one-time gain of $870 million from the consolidation of the tower unit. Total revenue saw a 13 percent increase, reaching $5.4 billion.
Bharti Airtel’s revenue from its Indian operations grew by 19 percent to $3.8 billion, with mobile service revenue up 21 percent to $3.1 billion. This was supported by a steady increase in Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), which rose 17.8 percent to $2.94.
The company’s mobile subscriber base in India expanded by 3.4 percent to 414 million, while average data consumption per user climbed 11.6 percent to 24.5 GB per month. The number of base stations also grew substantially, increasing by 73,276 to nearly 979,000.
The company’s business-to-business (B2B) unit posted a 9 percent growth, generating $650 million in revenue.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chair and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, noted that while the company’s balance sheet remains robust due to strong cash flow generation and prudent capital allocation, further adjustments to industry tariffs are necessary to ensure sustained investments and long-term value creation.
Vittal also explained that the company is in the process of retooling its Airtel Business portfolio by ramping up investments in digital services such as cloud computing, security, and IoT while moving away from low-margin commodity voice and wholesale offerings. While this strategic shift may impact short-term revenue growth, it is expected to have an “insignificant impact on margins.”
Bharti Airtel’s African operations also delivered strong results, with revenue climbing 21 percent to $1.3 billion. The company’s ARPU in Africa increased by 11.9 percent to $2.40, reflecting higher data usage and improved customer engagement.
Airtel Africa’s mobile subscriber base expanded by 7.8 percent, reaching 163.1 million. Airtel Money, the company’s mobile financial services platform, saw revenue surge by 31.2 percent to $269 million, with active customers increasing 18.3 percent to 44.3 million.
The company added 13,825 new base stations in Africa, bringing its total to 133,641.
Bharti Airtel’s strong Q3 2025 results highlight its continued dominance in the telecom sector, with solid growth in both its Indian and African markets. As the company strengthens its digital services and enhances its mobile offerings, it remains well-positioned for sustained expansion in the coming quarters.