Bharti Airtel reported strong financial and operational performance for the second quarter of FY2026-27 (Q2 FY27), with consolidated revenue increasing 16.7% year-on-year to Rs 60,878 crore. The telecom operator’s consolidated net income after exceptional items rose 31% to approximately Rs 8,888 crore, compared with Rs 6,792 crore in the corresponding quarter last year.
The results, announced on November 5, 2026, reflect growth across Airtel’s India and Africa businesses. In India, higher mobile average revenue per user (ARPU), premium postpaid customer additions, broadband expansion and enterprise services supported revenue growth. Airtel’s mobile ARPU increased to Rs 271, while its postpaid business recorded its strongest quarterly net additions.
The company also reported higher EBITDA, improved operating margins and a reduction in its net debt compared with September 2025. Here is a detailed look at Bharti Airtel’s Q2 FY27 financial results, subscriber performance, ARPU, business segments and investment plans.
Bharti Airtel Q2 FY27 Results: Key Financial Highlights
Bharti Airtel’s consolidated revenue reached Rs 60,878 crore in the September 2026 quarter, compared with Rs 52,145 crore in Q2 FY26. Revenue also increased 4% sequentially from Rs 58,539 crore in the June 2026 quarter.
The company reported consolidated EBITDA of Rs 35,240 crore, representing 17.8% annual growth. Its EBITDA margin improved to 57.9% from 57.4% a year earlier.
Here are the major financial figures:
| Financial Metric | Q2 FY27 | Q2 FY26 | YoY Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consolidated Revenue | Rs 60,878 crore | Rs 52,145 crore | 16.7% |
| EBITDA | Rs 35,240 crore | Rs 29,919 crore | 17.8% |
| EBITDA Margin | 57.9% | 57.4% | +0.5 percentage points |
| EBIT | Rs 20,556 crore | Rs 16,669 crore | 23.3% |
| EBIT Margin | 33.8% | 32.0% | +1.8 percentage points |
| Profit Before Tax | Rs 15,608 crore | Rs 12,322 crore | 26.7% |
| Net Income Before Exceptional Items | Rs 9,015 crore | Rs 6,792 crore | 32.7% |
| Net Income After Exceptional Items | Rs 8,888 crore | Rs 6,792 crore | 31% |
Understanding Airtel’s profit figures: The company reported net income of Rs 9,015 crore before exceptional items. After accounting for exceptional items, net income was Rs 8,888 crore. These are different accounting measures, which is why some reports may use different profit figures when describing the same quarterly results.
The improvement in EBITDA and EBIT margins indicates that revenue growth was accompanied by stronger operating profitability. However, the company’s higher finance costs and operating expenses remain important factors to monitor.
Airtel India Revenue Rises 9.4% to Rs 42,308 Crore
India remained Airtel’s largest business market during the September quarter. Revenue from the India business increased 9.4% year-on-year to Rs 42,308 crore, compared with Rs 38,690 crore in Q2 FY26.
On a sequential basis, India revenue increased 2.7% from Rs 41,214 crore in the previous quarter.
The company’s India EBITDA reached Rs 25,729 crore, up from Rs 23,204 crore a year earlier. Its EBITDA margin improved to 60.8% from 60% in Q2 FY26.
Airtel attributed its performance to several factors, including:
- Higher mobile ARPU and premiumisation of prepaid and postpaid plans.
- Strong smartphone data customer additions.
- Growth in home broadband and fixed wireless access services.
- Expansion of enterprise connectivity and digital services.
- Continued network investment and infrastructure expansion.
Mobile services remain the largest contributor to Airtel’s India business. The mobile services segment, including its associated network activities, generated revenue of Rs 30,943 crore, registering approximately 10.1% annual growth.
Airtel ARPU Increases to Rs 271 in Q2 FY27
Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) is one of the most important indicators of financial performance for telecom operators. Airtel reported a mobile ARPU of Rs 271 in Q2 FY27, compared with Rs 256 in the same quarter last year.
This represents annual growth of approximately 5.9%. ARPU also increased from Rs 264 in Q1 FY27, registering 2.7% sequential growth.
| ARPU Comparison | Airtel ARPU |
|---|---|
| Q2 FY27 | Rs 271 |
| Q1 FY27 | Rs 264 |
| Q2 FY26 | Rs 256 |
| YoY Growth | 5.9% |
| QoQ Growth | 2.7% |
The increase reflects Airtel’s focus on attracting higher-value customers, encouraging plan upgrades and strengthening its postpaid portfolio.
For comparison, Reliance Jio reported an ARPU of Rs 218.8 in Q2 FY27. Airtel therefore maintained a higher reported mobile ARPU during the quarter.
However, ARPU alone does not determine which operator is performing better. Subscriber growth, network investment, operating costs, customer retention and profitability also matter.
Airtel Adds Record 1.2 Million Postpaid Customers
Airtel’s postpaid business delivered a particularly strong performance during Q2 FY27. The company added 1.2 million postpaid customers during the quarter, describing it as its strongest quarterly net addition performance.
Its total postpaid customer base increased to approximately 31.2 million.
Airtel has been strengthening its postpaid proposition through family plans and additional digital benefits. During the quarter, the company expanded the benefits of its Rs 999 and above family postpaid plans by including Apple’s expanded iCloud+ offering, along with access to Apple TV and Apple Arcade.
The strategy is intended to give customers more value through a combination of mobile connectivity, cloud storage, entertainment and gaming services.
The strong postpaid additions are also important for ARPU because postpaid customers can contribute higher average revenue than lower-value prepaid connections.
Smartphone Data Customers Reach 304.6 Million
Airtel continued to expand its smartphone data customer base during the quarter.
The company added 18.8 million smartphone data customers over the past year and 2.9 million during Q2 FY27. Its smartphone data customer base reached 304.6 million.
These customers accounted for approximately 81% of Airtel’s total mobile customer base.
Mobile data consumption also continued to increase. Airtel reported that average data usage reached 36.5GB per customer per month, compared with 28.3GB in Q2 FY26. This represents annual growth of approximately 28.8%.
Total mobile data traffic increased 36.5% year-on-year to 31,813 petabytes during the quarter, compared with 23,313 petabytes in the corresponding period last year.
The increase in smartphone data customers and consumption highlights the growing importance of 4G and 5G services in Airtel’s mobile business.
Airtel Homes Business Revenue Grows 25.3%
Airtel’s Homes business remained one of its fastest-growing India segments during Q2 FY27.
Revenue from the segment increased 25.3% year-on-year to Rs 2,336 crore, compared with Rs 1,865 crore in Q2 FY26.
The company added 676,000 Homes customers during the quarter, taking its total customer base to approximately 15.4 million as of September 30, 2026.
The Homes business includes fixed broadband and related home connectivity services. Airtel has been expanding its fibre broadband and fixed wireless access offerings to reach more households.
The segment’s performance reflects increasing demand for home internet connectivity, particularly as households consume more video streaming, online gaming, remote-work and digital entertainment services.
However, revenue growth should also be considered alongside profitability and investment requirements. Airtel’s Homes EBITDA increased 22% to approximately Rs 1,140 crore, while its EBITDA margin was 48.8%, compared with 50.1% a year earlier. The company also reported higher capital expenditure in the segment.
Airtel Business Revenue Increases 11.4%
Airtel Business continued to deliver double-digit annual revenue growth during the quarter.
The enterprise business generated revenue of approximately Rs 5,878 crore, increasing 11.4% year-on-year.
The segment provides connectivity, cloud, cybersecurity, Internet of Things (IoT), managed services and digital solutions to businesses, government organisations and other enterprise customers.
Demand for enterprise connectivity, cloud infrastructure, data services and cybersecurity solutions is creating opportunities for telecom operators to diversify beyond consumer mobile services.
Airtel also announced a strategic partnership between Airtel Business and ITI Limited during the quarter. The collaboration is aimed at helping enterprises modernise legacy systems, improve operational efficiency and strengthen security.
Airtel Africa Delivers Strong Revenue Growth
Airtel’s Africa business was another important contributor to the consolidated results.
The company reported revenue growth of 25.7% year-on-year in reported rupee terms. In constant currency terms, revenue increased 20.6%.
Airtel Africa’s customer base reached approximately 193.9 million as of September 2026, compared with 173.8 million a year earlier.
The business generated revenue of approximately Rs 18,816 crore in the quarter, based on the regional financial reporting in Airtel’s investor presentation.
Airtel attributed the improvement to growth across its mobile voice, data and mobile money services. The company also highlighted the benefits of deploying its technology platforms across African markets.
The Africa business is strategically important because it gives Bharti Airtel revenue exposure beyond the Indian telecom market. However, reported financial performance can also be affected by foreign exchange movements, making constant currency growth an important comparison.
Airtel Invests Rs 12,467 Crore in Network and Infrastructure
Bharti Airtel continued to invest heavily in its network and digital infrastructure during Q2 FY27.
The company reported consolidated capital expenditure of Rs 12,467 crore, including Rs 9,908 crore for India.
In addition, Airtel invested Rs 2,826 crore in a strategic land parcel for its data centre expansion plans in India. The investment supports the company’s ambition to build data centre capacity of up to 1GW.
On the mobile network side, Airtel deployed 497 new towers and 11,684 mobile broadband base stations during the quarter.
Over the past year, the company added 5,649 towers and expanded its fibre network by 44,718 kilometres.
Airtel reported that its mobile network covered approximately 97.5% of India’s population as of September 2026.
These investments are expected to support rising mobile data demand, improve network capacity and strengthen Airtel’s broadband and enterprise infrastructure. The proposed data centre expansion also gives the company an opportunity to participate in the growing demand for cloud and digital infrastructure.
Airtel’s Net Debt and Financial Position Improve
Airtel reported an improvement in its debt position compared with September 2025.
Consolidated net debt, including lease obligations, stood at approximately Rs 1.67 lakh crore as of September 30, 2026, compared with Rs 1.95 lakh crore a year earlier.
Excluding lease obligations, net debt declined to approximately Rs 88,277 crore from Rs 1.27 lakh crore.
The company’s annualised net debt-to-EBITDA ratio improved to 1.18 times, compared with 1.63 times in September 2025.
Its net debt, excluding lease obligations, to EBITDAaL ratio stood at 0.70 times.
The improvement indicates a stronger balance-sheet position relative to operating earnings. It also provides greater financial flexibility as Airtel continues investing in mobile networks, broadband infrastructure and data centres.
What Airtel’s Q2 FY27 Results Mean for Indian Telecom Customers
Airtel’s quarterly performance highlights three important developments in India’s telecom market.
First, premiumisation remains a key part of the operator’s strategy. The increase in ARPU and record postpaid customer additions indicate that Airtel is focusing on higher-value customers rather than relying only on subscriber growth.
Second, demand for mobile data and home broadband continues to rise. The increase in smartphone data customers, monthly data consumption and Homes revenue reflects the growing role of connectivity in everyday consumer and business activities.
Third, Airtel is expanding beyond traditional mobile services. Enterprise connectivity, cloud, cybersecurity, financial services and data centre infrastructure are becoming important areas of investment.
For customers, the results do not automatically mean an immediate tariff increase or a change in existing recharge plans. However, the company’s focus on premium plans and higher-value customers could influence its future product and pricing strategy.
Bharti Airtel Q2 FY27 Results: Key Takeaways
Bharti Airtel delivered a strong second-quarter performance, with consolidated revenue increasing 16.7% to Rs 60,878 crore and net income after exceptional items rising 31% to approximately Rs 8,888 crore.
Its India business continued to grow through higher ARPU, smartphone data customer additions, postpaid expansion and home broadband services. The Africa business also delivered strong growth, supporting the company’s consolidated performance.
The improvement in operating margins and debt ratios is encouraging, although the company’s large network and infrastructure investments will remain important to monitor.
Going forward, Airtel’s ability to sustain ARPU growth, retain high-value customers, expand broadband services and generate returns from its data centre and digital infrastructure investments will be important factors shaping its financial performance.
