On Thursday, telecom giant Bharti Airtel announced a substantial increase in its net profit for the third quarter (Q3 FY25), reaching Rs 14,781 crore, mainly due to exceptional items from the consolidation of Indus Towers. Nevertheless, after accounting for exceptional items, the company's profit after tax (PAT) reached Rs 5,514 crore, marking a 121 per cent rise from Rs 2,442 crore in the same quarter of the previous year (Q3 FY24). The company's operational revenue rose by 19% year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 45,129 crore, fueled by strong performance in India and steady growth in Africa.
We had another stable quarter with the successful consolidation of Indus Towers in Q3, He mentioned that the company’s financial position is strong, thanks to healthy cash flow, careful capital management, and ongoing debt reduction. 'We also believe that the industry needs further tariff adjustments to maintain continuous investments and create long-term value,' Vittal added.
Airtel's EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) rose by 24 percent year-on-year to Rs 24,480 crore, partly due to the consolidation of Indus Towers for 43 days during the quarter. The company additionally announced a consistent increase in its average revenue per user (ARPU), which climbed to Rs 245 from Rs 208 in the same quarter of the previous year. Airtel bolstered its dominance in the postpaid market by acquiring 0.6 million new customers in the third quarter, bringing its total postpaid user base to 25.3 million.
Airtel Business maintained its robust performance with an 8.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) revenue growth. At the same time, its home broadband division continued to grow, achieving a 19 percent rise in revenue. This segment saw a record-breaking increase of 674,000 net customer additions, fueled by the demand for fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fixed wireless access (FWA) services. Airtel's digital TV segment experienced a 3 percent year-on-year decrease in revenue. Meanwhile, the company's passive infrastructure services added 5.7 percent to its total revenue growth in India.