NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel reported a 168% rise in consolidated net profit to ₹3,593 crore for the quarter ending September 2024, up from ₹1,341 crore in the previous year. The average revenue per user (ARPU) improved by 15% to ₹233 in Q2 FY25, compared to ₹203 in Q2 FY24. Consolidated revenues grew 12.0% year-on-year and 7.7% quarter-on-quarter, totaling ₹41,473 crore, largely due to growth momentum in India and constant currency growth in Africa.
Airtel’s mobile revenue grew 18.5% year-on-year, supported by a tariff hike in July 2024. Consolidated EBITDA stood at ₹22,021 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 53.1%. However, the company’s India customer base decreased by 2 million to 407 million as of September-end.
Managing Director Gopal Vittal highlighted Airtel’s focus on increasing ARPU and premiumisation, adding 4.2 million smartphone customers and expanding Wi-Fi coverage to over 2,000 cities. He also noted ongoing investments in digital businesses for diversified growth. India revenues reached ₹31,561 crore, marking a 16.9% year-on-year increase, with a net gain of 0.8 million postpaid subscribers, bringing the postpaid customer base to 24.7 million.
Airtel introduced India’s first network-based, AI-powered spam detection solution, added 583,000 fixed wireless access (FWA) customers, and prepaid ₹8,465 crore toward deferred liabilities for spectrum purchased in 2016 at a 9.3% interest rate.
