Winning Bizness Desk

Mumbai.Bharti Airtel has drawn up a long-term succession roadmap with Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Bharti Mittal announcing that he will hand over the company’s leadership to the next generation within the next 10 years. The announcement came during the company’s earnings call and is being seen as one of the biggest developments for millions of Airtel users and investors. The telecom giant, which started operations in Delhi in 1995, is now preparing for a carefully managed leadership transition while also dealing with global business pressures, including tensions in West Asia affecting operations across markets.

Planned transition after fresh five-year term

Just a day before the announcement, Mittal was reappointed as Chairman of Bharti Airtel for another five-year term beginning October 1, 2026, subject to shareholders’ approval. His latest statement indicates that the transition of power will not happen suddenly but through a phased and structured process over the coming decade.

Key developments linked to succession plan:

• Mittal will continue in an executive role for now
• Leadership transfer will happen in stages
• Company wants long-term stability for investors
• Focus remains on future-ready management structure

The move is also being interpreted as an effort to ensure smooth continuity at one of India’s biggest telecom companies at a time when competition and technology investments are rapidly changing the sector.

Higher recharge prices may be on cards

During the earnings discussion, Mittal openly said he was not satisfied with the current Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) figures and signalled that the company would continue taking steps to improve earnings from each customer. Industry experts believe this could eventually lead to another round of mobile recharge price hikes.

Important financial indicators:

• Mobile services revenue in India rose 8%
• Revenue touched Rs 28,831 crore in latest quarter
• ARPU increased from Rs 245 to Rs 257
• Company aiming for stronger operating margins

The comments suggest Airtel wants premium customers to consume more digital services while also pushing tariff corrections to strengthen profitability in the coming years.

Annual revenue crosses historic Rs 2 lakh crore mark

Despite reporting a decline in quarterly profit, Airtel achieved a major financial milestone during the financial year ending March 2026. The company’s consolidated net profit fell 33.5% to Rs 7,325 crore mainly because of one-time tax and statutory provisions. In the same quarter last year, profit stood at Rs 12,476 crore due to exceptional gains.

Still, the broader business picture remained strong. Airtel’s annual revenue crossed Rs 2 lakh crore for the first time, helped largely by a sharp 40% rise in its Africa business. Analysts say the milestone reflects Airtel’s growing global footprint and diversification beyond India’s telecom market.

Key future focus areas:

• Expansion into digital financial services
• Growth in cloud and enterprise solutions
• Stronger monetisation from telecom users
• Long-term leadership continuity planning

Airtel becomes world’s second largest telecom operator

Airtel’s customer base has continued expanding rapidly across India and Africa. By March 2026, the telecom major crossed 65 crore users globally, making it the world’s second-largest telecom company. It is also the only Indian telecom player to achieve this scale internationally.

The company also reported a strong rise in smartphone data consumption in India. Around 2 crore new smartphone data users joined the network, while monthly average data consumption per customer increased sharply from 25.1 GB to 31.4 GB.

Major growth indicators include:

• 65 crore global subscribers crossed
• Strong expansion in African markets
• Data consumption rising rapidly in India
• Smartphone user base continues growing

New businesses and cloud ambitions shape future roadmap

Executive Vice Chairman Gopal Vittal described FY26 as a landmark year for the company. Airtel launched its sovereign cloud services and also secured RBI approval to enter the lending business, signalling its ambitions beyond traditional telecom services.

The company is now positioning itself as a wider digital services and technology platform rather than remaining only a telecom operator. With leadership succession plans now publicly outlined, Airtel appears to be preparing for both generational change and aggressive future expansion at the same time.