Bharti Airtel Q4 Profit Surges 432% to ₹11,022 Crore on Tariff Hikes
| 2025-05-14
Airtel's Q4FY25 consolidated revenue rose over 27% year-on-year to ₹47,876 crore.
Bharti Airtel reports a 432% rise in Q4 net profit to ₹11,022 crore, driven by tariff hikes, subscriber growth, and India momentum; revenue up 27% YoY.
Bharti Airtel announced its financial results for the fourth quarter ending 31 March 2025, with consolidated net profit climbing to ₹11,022 crore from ₹2,071.6 crore in the same period a year earlier. The company’s revenue from operations grew by 27.3% to ₹47,876 crore, up from ₹37,599 crore in Q4FY24, supported by higher mobile tariffs and continued expansion of its subscriber base.
The telecom provider, which has a subscriber base of over 590 million, saw its average revenue per user (ARPU)—a key metric in the telecom industry—increase to ₹245, up 17% from ₹209 a year earlier. The rise was primarily driven by a price revision implemented in July 2024 and broader consumption of premium digital services.
“India business posts quarterly revenues of ₹36,735 crore – up 28.8 per cent YoY and 6 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), backed by improved realisations in the mobile segment, strong momentum in the Homes business, and Indus Towers consolidation,” the company said in a stock exchange filing.
Subscriber and Segment Performance
During the quarter, Airtel’s India mobile services revenue rose 20.6% year-on-year. Smartphone data customers grew by 24 million annually and 6.6 million sequentially, now representing 77% of its mobile customer base. Data usage per customer reached an average of 25.1 GB per month, up 21.2% year-on-year.
In the Homes business, Airtel recorded a 21.3% rise in revenue and added 812,000 net customers in Q4 alone. Meanwhile, Digital TV revenues saw a slight year-on-year decline of 0.6%, and Airtel Business reported a 2.7% decrease in revenue due to a strategic pivot away from low-margin segments.
The company’s consolidated EBITDA for Q4FY25 stood at ₹27,404 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 57.2%. India operations contributed ₹22,024 crore to EBITDA, marking a 6.3% annual increase with a 60% margin.
Annual Performance and Outlook
For the full fiscal year ending 31 March 2025, Bharti Airtel reported a fourfold increase in net profit to ₹33,556 crore, compared to ₹7,467 crore in FY24. Consolidated annual revenue reached ₹1,72,985 crore, up 15.3% from the previous year.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, said: “We ended FY25 on a strong note... India revenue increased by 6 per cent. Africa continued its underlying performance even as there was steadiness on currency.”
He added that the company had prepaid ₹5,985 crore of high-cost spectrum dues in the last quarter, bringing total prepayments to over ₹42,000 crore over the past two years.
Dividend and Investment Developments
The company’s board recommended a final dividend of ₹16 per fully paid-up equity share (face value ₹5) and ₹4 per partly paid-up equity share (paid-up value ₹1.25). The dividend will be paid within 30 days of shareholder approval at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
In a strategic move to enhance connectivity, Bharti Airtel also signed an agreement with SpaceX to deliver high-speed internet services from Starlink in India. Its main rival, Jio Platforms, announced a similar agreement with the US-based satellite internet provider.
Context
India's telecom sector has seen renewed growth following tariff revisions and expanding demand for high-speed mobile data services. Analysts, including Bernstein Societe Generale Group, noted that Indian telecom tariffs remain low compared to global markets, leaving room for future rate hikes.
The ongoing digital transformation in India, combined with increasing smartphone penetration and demand for fibre-based home broadband, is expected to support continued growth for leading operators such as Bharti Airtel.
The telecom provider, which has a subscriber base of over 590 million, saw its average revenue per user (ARPU)—a key metric in the telecom industry—increase to ₹245, up 17% from ₹209 a year earlier. The rise was primarily driven by a price revision implemented in July 2024 and broader consumption of premium digital services.
“India business posts quarterly revenues of ₹36,735 crore – up 28.8 per cent YoY and 6 per cent quarter-on-quarter (QoQ), backed by improved realisations in the mobile segment, strong momentum in the Homes business, and Indus Towers consolidation,” the company said in a stock exchange filing.
Subscriber and Segment Performance
During the quarter, Airtel’s India mobile services revenue rose 20.6% year-on-year. Smartphone data customers grew by 24 million annually and 6.6 million sequentially, now representing 77% of its mobile customer base. Data usage per customer reached an average of 25.1 GB per month, up 21.2% year-on-year.
In the Homes business, Airtel recorded a 21.3% rise in revenue and added 812,000 net customers in Q4 alone. Meanwhile, Digital TV revenues saw a slight year-on-year decline of 0.6%, and Airtel Business reported a 2.7% decrease in revenue due to a strategic pivot away from low-margin segments.
The company’s consolidated EBITDA for Q4FY25 stood at ₹27,404 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 57.2%. India operations contributed ₹22,024 crore to EBITDA, marking a 6.3% annual increase with a 60% margin.
Annual Performance and Outlook
For the full fiscal year ending 31 March 2025, Bharti Airtel reported a fourfold increase in net profit to ₹33,556 crore, compared to ₹7,467 crore in FY24. Consolidated annual revenue reached ₹1,72,985 crore, up 15.3% from the previous year.
Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, said: “We ended FY25 on a strong note... India revenue increased by 6 per cent. Africa continued its underlying performance even as there was steadiness on currency.”
He added that the company had prepaid ₹5,985 crore of high-cost spectrum dues in the last quarter, bringing total prepayments to over ₹42,000 crore over the past two years.
Dividend and Investment Developments
The company’s board recommended a final dividend of ₹16 per fully paid-up equity share (face value ₹5) and ₹4 per partly paid-up equity share (paid-up value ₹1.25). The dividend will be paid within 30 days of shareholder approval at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting.
In a strategic move to enhance connectivity, Bharti Airtel also signed an agreement with SpaceX to deliver high-speed internet services from Starlink in India. Its main rival, Jio Platforms, announced a similar agreement with the US-based satellite internet provider.
Context
India's telecom sector has seen renewed growth following tariff revisions and expanding demand for high-speed mobile data services. Analysts, including Bernstein Societe Generale Group, noted that Indian telecom tariffs remain low compared to global markets, leaving room for future rate hikes.
The ongoing digital transformation in India, combined with increasing smartphone penetration and demand for fibre-based home broadband, is expected to support continued growth for leading operators such as Bharti Airtel.
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