Bharti Airtel Limited reported a strong set of results for the quarter ended December 31, 2025, driven by sustained premiumisation in its India mobile business, rapid growth in home broadband, and continued momentum in Africa.

Consolidated revenue for the third quarter of FY26 rose 19.6% year on year to ₹53,982 crore, while EBITDA increased 25.2% to ₹31,144 crore, translating into an EBITDA margin of 57.7%. Net income before exceptional items stood at ₹6,920 crore, compared with ₹5,514 crore a year earlier, according to the company’s audited results

India remained the primary growth engine, with quarterly revenue of ₹39,226 crore, up 13.2% year on year. Mobile services revenue grew 9.1%, supported by higher realizations and a rising base of smartphone users. Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased to ₹259 from ₹245 in the same quarter last year, reflecting Airtel’s continued focus on higher-value customers.

Smartphone data customers rose by 20.8 million year on year to account for nearly 79% of Airtel’s mobile subscriber base. Mobile data consumption climbed 29.2% year on year to 29.8 GB per customer per month. Postpaid additions remained steady at 0.62 million during the quarter.

Airtel’s Homes business delivered one of its strongest quarters, with revenue surging 32.6% year on year. Net customer additions reached a record 1.16 million, taking the total base to over 13 million, aided by deeper network coverage and expansion into new markets.

Airtel Business posted steady sequential growth of 1.5%, with the company highlighting continued traction across cloud, cybersecurity, IoT and digital services. During the quarter, Airtel entered into strategic partnerships with Google to establish India’s first AI hub in Visakhapatnam, and with IBM to strengthen its Airtel Cloud offering for enterprises in regulated industries.

Africa operations also delivered robust performance, with revenue in constant currency growing 24.7% year on year and EBITDA margins expanding to 49.3%, reflecting improved operational efficiency and execution.

Capital expenditure for the quarter stood at ₹11,787 crore, as Airtel continued to invest in network expansion. During the period, the company added 1,147 towers and deployed more than 16,000 mobile broadband base stations. Over the first nine months of FY26, Airtel added over 5,400 towers and laid nearly 30,000 kilometres of fibre.

The balance sheet strengthened further, with consolidated net debt (excluding lease obligations) to EBITDA improving to 1.02 times. Executive Vice Chairman Gopal Vittal said the company’s diversified portfolio, strong cash generation and sustained deleveraging position Airtel well to invest in future growth opportunities.

Airtel ended the quarter with an overall customer base of about 645 million across 15 countries, reinforcing its position as one of the world’s largest telecom operators.