Bharti Airtel Reports Stellar Q2FY26 Results: Profit Surges 89%, Revenue Up 25.73%

Bharti Airtel has reported strong financial performance for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2026 (Q2FY26). The company's consolidated net profit surged by 89% year-on-year, reaching Rs 6,791.7 crore, a significant jump from Rs 3,593.2 crore recorded in the same period last year. The consolidated revenue also witnessed robust growth, increasing by 25.73% to Rs 52,145.4 crore in Q2FY26, up from Rs 41,473.3 crore in Q2FY25.

On a sequential basis, the company's profit grew by 14.19% compared to the previous quarter (Q1FY26), while revenue saw a rise of 5.42%. Bharti Airtel's India operations contributed significantly, with revenue climbing 22.6% year-on-year to Rs 38,690 crore. The average revenue per user (ARPU) for mobile services in India increased by approximately 10% to Rs 256, up from Rs 233 in the year-ago period.

The company's Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization (EBITDA) stood at Rs 29,919 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 57.4%. The India business alone reported an EBITDA of Rs 23,204 crore, maintaining a healthy EBITDA margin of 60.0%. Bharti Airtel's total customer base across 15 countries is approximately 624 million, with the India customer base at around 450 million.

Impact: This strong performance indicates robust operational efficiency and market leadership for Bharti Airtel. The increase in ARPU and customer additions, especially in the smartphone segment, suggests successful strategies in premiumization and customer acquisition. This is highly positive for the company's stock and the telecom sector. Rating: 8/10

Definitions: * Year-on-year (YoY): A comparison of financial data over a period (like a quarter) with the same period in the previous year. * Sequential basis: A comparison of financial data from one reporting period to the next consecutive reporting period (e.g., Q2FY26 vs. Q1FY26). * Average Revenue Per User (ARPU): The total revenue generated from a telecommunications service divided by the number of users over a specific period. * EBITDA: Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization. A measure of a company's operating performance. * EBITDA margin: EBITDA divided by total revenue, indicating profitability from core operations. * Premiumization: Strategy to offer higher-value or premium products/services to customers to increase revenue and margins. * IOT: Internet of Things. A network of physical devices, vehicles, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity which enables these objects to collect and exchange data.