Bharti Airtel’s January-March Profit Jumps Over 430% On Exceptional Gain

Bharti Airtel Ltd. reported a sharp 432% on-year rise in consolidated net profit to ₹11,022 crore for the March quarter, boosted by exceptional gains. Adjusted for one-time items, profit rose 77% to ₹5,223 crore.

Revenue grew 27% on year to ₹47,876 crore, supported by robust momentum in India, currency recovery in Africa, and the full-quarter impact of Indus Towers consolidation.

The board recommended a final dividend of ₹16 per share for 2024-2025.

India revenue grew 29% on year to ₹36,735 crore, while mobile revenue rose 21%, driven by tariff hikes and premiumisation. Average revenue per user for the quarter stood at ₹245, compared to ₹209 in the year-ago period.

Consolidated EBITDA rose 40% on year to ₹27,404 crore, with a margin of 57.2%. India EBITDA margin stood at 60%. The net debt-to-EBITDA ratio (annualised) improved to 1.86 times from 1.98 in December 2024.

The company retained its lead in the postpaid segment, adding 0.6 million subscribers during the quarter, taking the total to 25.9 million. Smartphone market share also improved, with a 9.5% rise in customers to 24 million.

Bharti Airtel added about 3,300 new towers and 13,600 mobile broadband stations during the quarter. On a yearly basis, the company deployed around 19,900 towers and 44,400 km of fibre to expand coverage.

Airtel announced a strategic partnership with Apple Inc. to offer Apple TV+ and Apple Music services to its users. The company said the tie-up would provide exclusive access to premium content including series, films, documentaries, and children's programming.

The home broadband business saw revenue grow 21.3% on year, driven by strong additions. The company added 812,000 fixed wireless access customers during the quarter, taking the total to 10 million.

However, Airtel Business revenue dropped 3% on year due to a shift away from low-margin global wholesale voice and messaging services. Digital TV revenue stood at ₹764 crore with a customer base of 15.9 million.

In Africa, revenue in constant currency rose 23.2% on year. EBITDA margin for the segment expanded by 120 basis points to 47.5%, with a customer base of 166 million as of March 2025.

Bharti Airtel said its balance sheet remained healthy, supported by strong cash flows, disciplined capex, and debt reduction. The company prepaid ₹5,985 crore in March towards deferred spectrum liabilities to the Department of Telecommunications.