In a mixed bag of financial results, Bharti Airtel reported a 55% year-over-year drop in Q3 FY26 net profit to ₹6,630.5 crore, announced Thursday from Mumbai. Last year’s figure stood at a lofty ₹14,781.2 crore, inflated by one-time gains.
Breaking it down, the profit contraction reflects a normalizing base after ₹7,545.6 crore in extraordinary income during Q3 FY24. Additionally, ₹256.8 crore in extra costs from the new labor codes weighed on the bottom line. Sequentially, earnings fell 2.3% from ₹6,791.7 crore.
Revenue growth painted a brighter picture, surging nearly 20% to ₹54,683.9 crore against ₹45,599 crore YoY. Total expenses rose 12.98% to ₹23,198.8 crore, driven by network investments and compliance burdens.
Key operational highlights included ARPU climbing to ₹259, a sequential gain from ₹256 and a solid improvement over ₹245 YoY. Network data traffic hit 26,056 million GB, boasting 29.2% annual growth and 6.6% quarterly rise.
Users consumed 29.8 GB per month on average—5% more than Q2’s 28.3 GB and 21.5% above last year’s 24.5 GB. Employee numbers trimmed to 24,186, underscoring efficiency drives.
As Airtel navigates competitive pressures and regulatory shifts, its focus on premium services and data leadership underscores long-term resilience in India’s telecom arena.