NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel, country’s second-largest telecom service provider, reported a 505% surge in net profit, reaching Rs 14,781 crore for the quarter ending December 31, 2024.
The telco’s net profit was Rs 2,442 crore in the same period last fiscal. The company recorded a one-time gain of Rs 7,546 crore during the reporting quarter, primarily due to the consolidation of a majority stake in Indus Towers.
The company’s consolidated revenues for Q3FY25 stood at Rs 45,129 crore, marking a 19.1% year-on-year (YoY) growth and an 8.8% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) rise.
India revenues for the quarter totalled Rs 34,654 crore, reflecting a 24.6% YoY rise and a 9.8% QoQ growth. The company’s EBITDA for the quarter was Rs 19,850 crore, a 32.3% YoY rise, with an EBITDA margin of 57.3%.
“We delivered another consistent quarter with consolidated revenue of 45,129 crore. Indus Towers consolidation is effective this quarter. India revenue (excluding Indus) grew by 4.8% sequentially. Africa maintained strong constant currency sequential growth trajectory of 5.6%,” said Gopal Vittal, Vice-chairman and MD of Bharti Airtel.
The company improved its average revenue per user (ARPU) to the highest level among its competitors at Rs 245 in Q3, up from Rs 208 in Q3FY24. The telco added 0.6 million postpaid users in Q3FY25, thereby increasing its customer base to 25.3 million. Its market share in the smartphone segment saw improvement, with an addition of 25.2 million users, a 10.3% YoY rise. Overall, it added 4947000 customers in the quarter.
The telco rolled out nearly 5,200 towers and about 16,300 mobile broadband stations in Q3. It also stated that its anti-SPAM tool has brought significant relief, notifying close to 252 million unique customers and effectively combating the SPAM menace. Powered by Airtel’s AI-driven network, it identifies over 1 million unique spammers, making more than 130 million calls daily.
Smartphone segment market share improves
Its market share in smartphone segment saw improvement, with an addition of 25.2 million users, a 10.3% YoY rise. It added 4947000 customers in Q3. The telco rolled out 5,200 towers and about 16,300 mobile broadband stations in Q3. It stated that its anti-SPAM tool has brought major relief, notifying close to 252 million unique customers and combating the SPAM menace.