Bharti Airtel announced its financial results for Q2 FY25, ended September 30, 2024, showing that the company has increased its customers in India and Africa.
Bharti Airtel reported revenues of Rs 41,473 crore, marking a 12 percent year-on-year (YoY) increase and a 7.7 percent rise quarter-on-quarter (QoQ).
Airtel Africa revenue rose 20.8 percent in constant currency revenue.
“We continue to expand our Wifi coverage with FWA offerings to over 2,000 cities. We continue to invest in our digital businesses to diversify portfolio strength and drive long term growth,” Gopal Vittal, MD of Bharti Airtel, said.
Airtel India’s total customer base decreased to 406.528 million in July-September 2024 as compared with 409.275 million from April-June 2024. Airtel India had 389.452 million customers at the end of September 2023.
Airtel Africa’s customer base increased to 156.642 million in July-September 2024 against 155.416 million from April-June 2024 and 147.666 million at the end of September 2023.
Airtel India
Airtel’s India revenue increased 16.9 percent to Rs 31,561 crore, supported by strong performance in mobile and homes segments.
Airtel’s India ARPU has reached Rs 233, up from Rs 203, reflecting Airtel’s premiumization strategy.
Airtel India added 26.2 million smartphone users, an 11 percent increase. Airtel India led the postpaid segment, adding 0.8 million new customers, totaling 24.7 million.
Airtel introduced India’s first AI-powered, network-based spam detection tool, aiming to combat spam calls and SMS messages. This free feature will automatically activate for all Airtel customers without any service request or app download required.
Airtel India’s Homes Business revenue grew 17.3 percent. Airtel India’s Homes Business added 583,000 customers, expanding its base to 8.6 million. The company ramped up its Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) offerings and broadened its home-pass network through a mix of owned and partner-operated networks.
Airtel Business revenue grew 10.7 percent. Domestic business remained strong, and digital products experienced significant traction.
Digital TV generated Rs 759 crore in revenue, with a subscriber base of 15.8 million. Airtel’s targeted strategy and integrated offerings continued to drive market share growth.
Capex
The total capital expenditure for the quarter amounted to Rs 7,675 crore, with India accounting for Rs 6,260 crore and Africa for Rs 1,415 crore, underscoring Airtel’s ongoing investments in infrastructure and network expansion.
To bolster network quality, Airtel India deployed approximately 5,000 additional towers and 15,200 mobile broadband stations in the quarter. The company also leveraged newly acquired spectrum to enhance connectivity, adding a total of 34,000 towers.
Airtel’s 5G network has been recognized for its excellence by Open Signal, achieving top scores across all five categories of 5G network experience.
Baburajan Kizhakedath