Airtel reports marketing spends at Rs 2965 cr in Q1 FY26 

Bharti Airtel has raised its sales and marketing expenses to Rs 2,965 crore in the quarter ended June 30, 2025, up 2% from Rs 2,936 crore in the previous quarter and 6.6% higher than Rs 2,715 crore in the year-ago period. 

This comes even as the company reported a 40.5% quarter-on-quarter decline in consolidated net profit to Rs 7,422 crore, compared to Rs 12,476 crore in the March 2025 quarter. On a year-on-year basis, net profit rose 57% from Rs 4,717 crore in Q1 FY25.

Total income for the quarter stood at Rs 49,971 crore, marking a 3.3% increase from Rs 48,362 crore in the previous quarter and a 28.6% rise from Rs 38,869 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Revenue from operations came in at Rs 49,462 crore, growing 3.3% quarter-on-quarter and 28.4% year-on-year.

Other income for the quarter stood at Rs 509 crore, marginally higher than Rs 486 crore in Q4 FY25 and Rs 364 crore in Q1 FY25.

Airtel’s marketing expenditure growth outpaced overall income growth on a year-on-year basis, even as quarterly profit declined sequentially.

In a statement, Gopal Vittal, Vice-Chairman and MD, said: We delivered another quarter of consistent growth, with consolidated revenues at 49,463 crores growing 3.3% on a sequential basis. Our India revenue, including Passive Infrastructure Services, increased by 2.3% sequentially. Africa reported solid performance with 6.7% growth in constant currency. India Mobile business recorded a sequential growth of 2.9%, driven by continued focus on portfolio premiumization and an additional day in the quarter. We added ~4 million smartphone data customers and maintained an industry-leading Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) of Rs. 250 for Q1FY26."
 
"Our Homes business reported solid performance with a lifetime high quarterly net additions of 939K, resulting in a sequential revenue growth of 7.6%. Our IPTV expansion is ramping up well with strong acceptance from customers as it delivers superior experience and convenience. Airtel Business revenue decline is reflecting the full impact of portfolio restructuring undertaken last year. The underlying growth trajectory remains steady at a sequential growth of 2.0 % with continued improvement in funnel and orderbook," he added

Their digital network across India and Africa now serves over 600 million customers. "This is a testament to our passion for connecting customers through sustained investments and superior customer experience. Our balance sheet continues to demonstrate strength, supported by solid cash flow generation and disciplined capital allocation," Vittal concluded.

Revenue from the India mobile services segment rose to Rs 27,396.6 crore in Q1 FY26, compared to Rs 26,616.8 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 22,527.4 crore in the same quarter last year. Mobile services in Africa also recorded strong growth, with revenue at Rs 12,083.4 crore in Q1 FY26, up from Rs 11,376.3 crore in Q4 FY25 and Rs 9,636.9 crore in Q1 FY25.

The home services segment reported Rs 1,717.9 crore in revenue, growing from Rs 1,596.1 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 1,367 crore in Q1 FY25. Passive infrastructure services brought in Rs 8,091.3 crore, higher than Rs 7,763 crore in Q4 FY25. The segment had no comparable figure in the June 2024 quarter due to absence of disclosures.

Airtel Business revenue declined sequentially to Rs 5,057.1 crore from Rs 5,315.5 crore but was lower on a year-on-year basis as well, compared to Rs 5,476.5 crore in Q1 FY25. Digital TV services revenue remained largely flat at Rs 762.8 crore versus Rs 764.4 crore in the previous quarter and Rs 777.1 crore in the same quarter last year.