What Airtel does

Bharti Airtel Limited (NSE: BHARTIARTL, BSE: 532454) is a publicly listed Indian telecommunications conglomerate incorporated in 1995, headquartered in Gurugram with a corporate office in New Delhi. The group serves more than 650 million customers across 17 countries spanning South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, with networks covering over two billion people, and is ranked the second-largest mobile operator globally. Core consumer and enterprise offerings include 2G/3G/4G/5G mobile services, FTTH and 5G Fixed Wireless Access home broadband (marketed as Wi-Fi and AirFiber), Airtel Digital TV DTH (15.9 million subscribers), and embedded IoT connectivity for vehicles, smart meters and enterprises. On top of the connectivity layer, Airtel has built a payments bank, a lending and credit marketplace (Airtel Finance), Wynk Music, Airtel Xstream video and gaming, an enterprise cybersecurity suite (Airtel Secure Workforce) and an in-house AI/data platform (Xtelify) that also powers the Airtel Cloud offering and the Nxtra Data data-centre business.

The underlying technology stack spans legacy and next-generation mobile networks, subsea and terrestrial fibre connecting 50+ countries and 5 continents, the world's first network-embedded CPaaS (Airtel IQ) integrating SMS, WhatsApp, voice and Microsoft Teams Operator Connect, and India's first commercial consumer 5G SA network slicing deployment (Airtel Postpaid Fast Lane). Airtel monetises primarily through subscription-based recurring mobile, broadband and DTH plans (FY25 consolidated revenue Rs. 1,729,852 million rising to Rs. 2.11 lakh crore in FY26), supplemented by transaction fees from Airtel Payments Bank and UPI, affiliate revenue from Airtel Finance partnerships (Axis, DMI, Moneyview, Bajaj), managed-services revenue from 1M+ Airtel Business customers, and hardware sales of Xstream set-top boxes and SIMs. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer self-serve via airtel.in and the Airtel Thanks App, owned retail stores (with new entry into Ladakh), direct enterprise field sales, domestic and global channel partners across 50+ countries, and OEM/embedded distribution through IoT SIMs in vehicles and set-top boxes. India mobile ARPU stood at Rs. 257 in Q4 FY26 (about 20% above Jio's Rs. 212), and S&P Global upgraded the issuer to BBB+ with stable outlook on June 24, 2026, citing 8-10% projected annual EBITDA growth and Africa earnings rising to 25-27% of consolidated EBITDA by FY28.

Name

Airtel

Legal name

Bharti Airtel Limited

Website

https://airtel.in

Company type

Public

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Bharti Airtel is a publicly listed Indian telecom conglomerate serving 650M+ customers across 17 countries with mobile, broadband, DTH, payments, lending and cloud services, ranked the second-largest mobile operator globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Telecommunications Services

NAICS

Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) (517112), Wired and Wireless Telecommunications (except Satellite) (5171), Telecommunications Resellers (517121)

SIC

Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) (4813), Computer Communications Equipment (3576)

akta.pro primary industry

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) Mobile Operators (HDAIAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mobile Roaming & Interconnect Services (roaming hubs, IREG/TADIG, clearing) (HDAIAEAE)

Keywords

• Mobile telecom services
• Broadband internet
• Satellite TV services
• Mobile payments banking
• Enterprise connectivity solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Mobile Telecommunication Services: Recurring subscription and usage-based revenue from prepaid recharges and postpaid plans across India (361.6 million mobile customers) and Africa (166.1 million); FY25 consolidated revenue of Rs. 1,729,852 million. India mobile ARPU of Rs. 257 in Q4 FY26.
2. Home Broadband (Wi-Fi/FTTH + FWA): Monthly recurring subscription revenue from FTTH (fiber) and Fixed Wireless Access (AirFiber) broadband plans ranging Rs. 499–Rs. 3,999 per month plus GST; 10 million+ homes served in India.
3. DTH / Digital TV Subscription: Recurring monthly subscription revenue from Airtel Digital TV DTH services (15.9 million subscribers as of March 2025) with HD and Xstream (Android TV) set-top boxes; Network Capacity Fee (NCF) of Rs. 153 for up to 200 SD channels.
4. Hardware Sales (Set-Top Boxes, SIM, Routers): One-time sales of Airtel Xstream Android TV Box at Rs. 2,899, DTH set-top boxes, Wi-Fi routers (free with multi-month plans), and prepaid SIM cards with optional paid connection plans.
5. Airtel Payments Bank & Digital Payments: Transaction-based revenue from UPI payments, savings account interest, mobile wallet, money transfers, and bill payments via Airtel Payments Bank; offers up to 7% interest on savings and cashback on UPI transactions.
6. Airtel Finance (Lending & Credit Products): Affiliate/transaction revenue from personal loans, business loans, gold loans, credit cards, fixed deposits, insta-EMI cards, and free CIBIL score checks distributed via the Airtel App in partnership with lenders (Axis Bank, DMI Finance, Moneyview, Bajaj Finance).
7. Enterprise / B2B Managed Services: Recurring managed services, connectivity, cloud, cybersecurity, IoT, SD-WAN, IPLC, public cloud, iSOC and CPaaS revenue from enterprise and SMB customers across multiple verticals; 1 million+ businesses on Airtel Business.
8. Passive Infrastructure (Indus Towers Subsidiary): Passive infrastructure services revenue through subsidiary Indus Towers Ltd., providing shared tower infrastructure to telecom operators.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion6 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Airtel is a global telecommunications company providing mobile (prepaid and postpaid), home broadband (FTTH and 5G Fixed Wireless Access), DTH satellite TV, and enterprise connectivity services across India and 14 sub-Saharan African countries, serving 650+ million customers. Beyond connectivity, it operates Airtel Payments Bank, Airtel Finance (loans and credit), Airtel IQ network-embedded CPaaS, Airtel Cloud/Xtelify AI platform, and Nxtra data centres as integrated digital services accessible primarily through the Airtel Thanks App.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Airtel Payments Bank: Banking subsidiary offering paperless savings accounts, UPI payments, deposits, and digital wallet services.
• Airtel Xstream
• Airtel Black
• Airtel IQ
• Xtelify
• Nxtra Data
• Wynk Music

Products and services

• Airtel Prepaid Mobile
• Airtel Postpaid Mobile
• Airtel Wi-Fi Home Broadband
• Airtel AirFiber (5G FWA)
• Airtel DTH (Digital TV)
• Airtel Xstream Android TV Box
• Airtel Black (Converged Bundle)
• Airtel Payments Bank
• Airtel Finance (Loans and Credit)
• Airtel Business (Enterprise Solutions)
• Airtel IQ (Network-embedded CPaaS)
• Airtel IoT Connectivity Suite
• Airtel Secure Workforce (Zero Trust)
• Airtel Cloud (Telco-Grade Sovereign Cloud)
• Nxtra Data (Data Centre Services)
• Xtelify AI-Powered Telco Software Platform
• Airtel Thanks App (Super-App) Mobile super-app on Apple App Store and Google Play providing recharge, bill payment, UPI, payments bank, personal loans, credit score, OTT claims, Airtel Xstream, free perks (Adobe Express Premium, LinkedIn Premium, EazyDiner Prime), customer support and AI-driven spam/fraud protection (68.7% drop in fraud losses per MHA I4C data).

Quantifiable outcome

• India mobile ARPU Rs. 257 vs Jio's Rs. 212 (~20% premium)
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• LinkedIn (Microsoft)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Strategic partnership with LinkedIn to offer Airtel Insider Rewards — eligible Airtel customers in India receive free 3-month LinkedIn Premium Career subscription (worth Rs. 2,997) via the Airtel Thanks App, aimed at customer retention and engagement.
• EazyDinerminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Bundle partnership offering free 2-month EazyDiner Prime membership (worth Rs. 850) to eligible Airtel prepaid customers via the Airtel Insider Rewards program in the Airtel Thanks App.
• Singtel (Ericsson partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Bharti Airtel identified alongside Telstra, Singtel, AIS and other APAC operators accelerating 2G/3G legacy network shutdowns and redirecting spectrum and capital to 5G and AI-driven networks — with Singtel-Ericsson 5G partnership cited as a regional benchmark.
• Singtel GroupflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 June 2026Singtel is an existing investor in Airtel; Airtel's marketing head and Connected Homes CEO Siddharth Sharma resigned to move to a senior executive leadership position at Singtel Group. Singtel shareholding narrows gap with Bharti Telecom following the ICIL share-swap.
• Indian Army (4 Corps)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Bharti Airtel completed Phase 1 of a strategic partnership with the Indian Army's 4 Corps to deploy mobile network infrastructure across 30 high-altitude Army stations in Arunachal Pradesh; Army provided logistical support including fibre deployment, power infrastructure and transportation to areas without road access. Phase 2 will add 15 more locations.
• AdobecoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Bundle partnership offering free Adobe Express Premium worth Rs. 4,000 for 12 months to Airtel customers (prepaid, postpaid, Wi-Fi and DTH users) via the Airtel Thanks App under 'Claim OTTs and more'. Unlocks 350K+ templates, 200M+ Adobe Stock assets, 30K+ fonts and Generative AI tools.
• Google (Google One)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Google One 100GB cloud storage bundled free with Airtel postpaid Wi-Fi plans (e.g., the Rs. 449 postpaid plan and most Wi-Fi plans); 6-month trial offer on broadband plans.
• NetflixcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Netflix Basic bundled with Airtel Rs. 999 Wi-Fi plan; Netflix Basic + Amazon Prime bundled with Rs. 1,199 plan; Netflix Premium included with Rs. 1,599 and Rs. 3,999 Wi-Fi plans.
• Amazon PrimecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Amazon Prime bundled with Airtel Wi-Fi plans Rs. 999 and above, including a 1-year Prime subscription with the Rs. 1,199 plan.
• Apple TV+minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Apple TV+ subscription bundled with Airtel Wi-Fi plans Rs. 999 and above.
• JioHotstar / Disney+ HotstarcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026JioHotstar / Disney+ Hotstar subscription bundled with multiple Airtel Wi-Fi and DTH plans, including the most popular Rs. 999+ Wi-Fi plans and 1-year Disney+ Hotstar mobile subscription with select prepaid recharges.
• ZEE5minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026ZEE5 Premium bundled with multiple Airtel Wi-Fi plans and included in the Rs. 798 prepaid data pack along with 90-day ZEE5 subscription streaming FIFA World Cup 2026.
• Shaw AcademyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Free online courses on Shaw Academy offered as lifetime benefit to Airtel prepaid customers as part of OTT/perks bundle.
• Microsoft (MS Teams Operator Connect)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026Operator Connect for Microsoft Teams via Airtel — seamless MS-Teams integration for secure and flexible internal and external calling.
• WhatsApp (Meta)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2026WhatsApp API integration via Airtel Business Connect and Airtel IQ — enabling businesses to integrate voice, SMS and WhatsApp for collaboration and customer engagement.
• SpaceX (Starlink)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025In March 2025, Airtel signed an agreement with SpaceX to explore bringing Starlink satellite internet services to India; regulatory hurdles around spectrum assignment and security clearances still prevent commercial launch as of mid-2026.
• GoogleflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 January 2022Google announced a $1 billion investment in Bharti Airtel via the India Digitization Fund: $700 million for a 1.28% equity stake and $300 million in long-term commercial agreements to support affordable smartphones, 5G use cases and cloud services. Also extended to a gigawatt-scale AI data centre campus at Nxtra backed by ~$15B investment.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Reliance Jio (Reliance Industries): Jio is India's largest telecom operator by subscribers and Airtel's primary direct competitor across mobile, broadband, and digital services. Both compete head-to-head in prepaid 5G pricing, fiber ARPU, and bundled OTT offerings, and are the two main players in India's near-duopoly telecom market.
• Vodafone Idea (Vi): Vodafone Idea is India's third private telecom operator and a direct competitor to Airtel across mobile, broadband, and 4G/5G services. Both compete in the same 22 telecom circles, share the same enterprise B2B segments, and are subject to the same DoT/TRAI regulatory environment.
• MTN Group: MTN is the largest mobile operator in Africa and a direct competitor to Airtel Africa across multiple sub-Saharan markets including Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia. Both are pan-African mobile-first operators expanding into mobile money, enterprise, and digital services.
• Tata Communications: Tata Communications is a major Indian enterprise and global wholesale telecom, data centre, and subsea cable operator, directly comparable to Airtel's B2B, Nxtra, and global subsea connectivity business. Both serve enterprise customers in India with managed SD-WAN, IPLC, cloud, and IoT services.
• Jio Platforms: Jio Platforms is the digital services and telecom arm of Reliance Industries, encompassing Jio's mobile network, JioFiber, JioMart, JioSaavn, and digital apps. It is directly comparable to Airtel + Xtelify + Airtel Payments Bank as a converged telecom-and-digital-platform super-app, competing for the same Indian consumer wallet.

Broad incumbents

• Singtel: Singtel is an existing strategic investor in Bharti Airtel and a regional telecom incumbent across Singapore, Australia (Optus), and partners in the Philippines, Indonesia, and India. It is comparable as a portfolio telco with a mix of operating markets and minority stakes, and is jointly pursuing 5G and AI-driven network strategies with Airtel.
• e& (Emirates Telecommunications Group): e& is a major MENA-based telecom incumbent with a portfolio of operating markets and significant emerging-markets stakes, comparable in scale and geographic diversity to Airtel's India + Africa footprint. Both are pursuing diversification into digital services, fintech, and enterprise solutions.

Regional players

• Telkomsel: Telkomsel is Indonesia's largest mobile operator and a regional APAC peer to Airtel, with comparable mobile, digital, and broadband offerings. Both were recognised together at the Twimbit Telecom Awards 2026 and share similar 4G/5G rollout, digital platform, and ARPU expansion strategies in high-growth emerging markets.
• Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison: Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison is Indonesia's second-largest mobile operator and an APAC regional peer to Airtel. Both compete in mobile, broadband, and digital services in high-growth emerging markets, and were co-awarded at the Twimbit Telecom Awards 2026.
• Globe Telecom: Globe is one of the Philippines' two major mobile operators and an APAC regional peer to Airtel. Both compete across mobile, broadband, and digital services in their respective emerging Asian markets and were co-recognised at the Twimbit Telecom Awards 2026.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@AirtelCares
• Facebookfacebook.com/AirtelIndia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airtel
• Xx.com/airtelindia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments19 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airtel