Bharti Airtel accelerated network expansion and customer acquisition during the quarter ended September 30, 2026, with consolidated capital expenditure of ₹12,466.8 crore, a global subscriber base of 692.58 million, and mobile network coverage reaching 97.5 percent of India’s population.
The telecom operator continued investing in mobile infrastructure, fiber networks, home broadband, enterprise connectivity and data centers, while expanding its presence across India and 14 African markets.
Airtel Investment Reaches ₹12,467 Crore
Bharti Airtel reported consolidated capital expenditure (Capex) of ₹12,466.8 crore in the September 2026 quarter, compared with ₹11,362.3 crore in the corresponding quarter of 2025, representing an increase of 9.7 percent.
For the first six months of FY2027, consolidated Capex reached ₹25,852.8 crore, compared with ₹19,669.3 crore a year earlier, an increase of 31.4 percent.
Airtel’s cumulative consolidated investments reached ₹6,95,257.2 crore as of September 30, 2026, compared with ₹6,44,886.3 crore a year earlier.
India and South Asia accounted for ₹9,907.7 crore of quarterly Capex, while Africa contributed ₹2,559.1 crore.
Airtel also disclosed an additional investment of ₹2,825.8 crore in a strategic land parcel for data center expansion in India, separate from its reported Capex.
Airtel India Investment by Business Division
Mobile services remained the largest investment destination, reflecting continued deployment of network infrastructure and expansion of mobile coverage.
| Business division | Q2 FY2027 Capex |
| Mobile Services | ₹3,599.9 crore |
| Passive Infrastructure | ₹2,470.1 crore |
| Homes Services | ₹2,181.4 crore |
| Airtel Business | ₹1,171.0 crore |
| Digital TV Services | ₹476.5 crore |
Mobile services accounted for approximately 36 percent of India and South Asia segment Capex, followed by passive infrastructure at 25 percent and Homes Services at 22 percent.
Airtel’s investment in Homes Services reflects its continuing efforts to expand fixed broadband availability across additional Indian cities.
Airtel Mobile Network Coverage Reaches 97.5 Percent
Airtel expanded its mobile network to cover approximately 97.5 percent of India’s population by September 2026, compared with 96.5 percent in September 2025.
The operator’s network presence extended across 7,905 census towns and 835,075 non-census towns and villages.
Its optical fiber network expanded to 552,373 route kilometres, compared with 507,655 route kilometres a year earlier, an addition of 44,718 route kilometres.
During the September quarter alone, Airtel added 9,803 route kilometres of optical fiber.
Airtel’s India network tower count increased to 347,988, compared with 342,339 in September 2025, representing an addition of 5,649 towers.
The operator also expanded its mobile broadband base stations to 1,214,118, compared with 1,154,810 a year earlier, adding 59,308 base stations.
These additions supported Airtel’s efforts to strengthen mobile broadband availability and expand network capacity across its Indian service areas.
Airtel India Mobile Subscribers Reach 377.2 Million
Airtel’s India mobile subscriber base increased to 377.22 million in September 2026, compared with 364.19 million a year earlier, representing growth of 3.6 percent.
The operator added approximately 716,000 mobile subscribers during the September quarter.
Airtel’s postpaid mobile subscriber base increased to 31.24 million, compared with 27.52 million in September 2025, representing growth of 13.5 percent.
Including IoT and machine-to-machine connections reported under Airtel Business, its postpaid connection base reached 119.82 million, compared with 83.85 million a year earlier.
The company’s mobile data subscriber base expanded to 305.45 million, compared with 289.43 million a year earlier.
Within this segment, 4G and 5G data subscribers increased to 304.63 million, compared with 285.82 million in September 2025, representing growth of 6.6 percent.
Airtel Home Broadband Subscribers Grow 28.9 Percent
Airtel’s Homes Services subscriber base reached 15.37 million in September 2026, compared with 11.93 million a year earlier, representing growth of 28.9 percent.
The operator added approximately 676,000 home broadband subscribers during the quarter.
Airtel expanded its Homes Services coverage to 1,669 cities, compared with 1,551 cities in September 2025, adding 118 cities over the year.
The company also expanded its local cable operator partnership model to 1,584 cities, extending broadband availability in locations beyond its directly wired network.
Indus Towers Expands Infrastructure Coverage
Airtel’s passive infrastructure subsidiary Indus Towers operated 270,480 macro towers across India’s 22 telecom circles at the end of September 2026.
This represented an increase of 14,406 towers from 256,074 in September 2025.
Macro co-locations increased to 440,153, compared with 415,717 a year earlier, an addition of 24,436.
During the September quarter, Indus Towers added 2,869 macro towers and 7,903 macro co-locations.
These infrastructure additions expanded the availability of shared telecom infrastructure for mobile operators across India.
Airtel Africa Subscribers Reach 193.9 Million
Airtel Africa expanded its subscriber base to 193.89 million in September 2026, compared with 173.82 million a year earlier, representing growth of 11.6 percent.
The African operations added approximately 4.89 million subscribers during the September quarter.
Airtel Africa’s data subscriber base increased to 89.89 million, compared with 78.14 million a year earlier, representing growth of 15 percent.
Its Airtel Money active customer base reached 60.91 million, compared with 49.75 million in September 2025, representing growth of 22.4 percent.
Airtel Africa expanded its network tower count to 42,490, compared with 38,314 a year earlier, an increase of 4,176 towers.
The number of mobile broadband base stations increased to 165,856 from 143,640, adding 22,216 base stations.
Airtel Africa’s quarterly capital expenditure reached ₹2,559.1 crore, compared with ₹1,719.5 crore in September 2025, reflecting increased investment in network infrastructure.
Airtel Global Customer Base Approaches 700 Million
Bharti Airtel’s consolidated customer base increased to 692.58 million as of September 30, 2026, compared with 623.55 million a year earlier.
The company added approximately 69.03 million customers over the 12-month period, representing growth of 11.1 percent.
The consolidated customer base increased by approximately 11.69 million during the September quarter.
Airtel’s global network tower count reached 390,478, compared with 380,653 a year earlier.
With continued investments in mobile infrastructure, fiber connectivity, home broadband and African network expansion, Airtel is strengthening its coverage footprint while expanding its subscriber base across its operating markets.
BABURAJAN KIZHAKEDATH
