India’s 2nd Largest Telecom Company Reports Q4FY26 Results; PAT Declines 34%, Announces Rs 24 Per Share Dividend

Indian equity benchmark indices ended higher on Wednesday, with the benchmark Nifty 50 index closing above the 23,400 mark. Positive momentum in telecom and digital infrastructure stocks supported the broader market sentiment. In this segment, shares of Bharti Airtel remained in focus after the company announced its Q4FY26 and FY26 audited financial results along with Dividend recommendation. On Wednesday, Bharti Airtel shares gained 1.84 per cent to close at Rs 1,789.20.

Bharti Airtel Q4FY26 Results

Bharti Airtel reported consolidated total revenues of Rs 55,383 crore in Q4FY26 as against Rs 47,876 crore reported in Q4FY25, registering a growth of 15.7 per cent YoY. Consolidated EBIT stood at Rs 18,156 crore during the quarter compared to Rs 14,950 crore reported in the corresponding quarter previous year, reflecting a growth of 21.4 per cent YoY.

Profit before Tax stood at Rs 13,205 crore in Q4FY26 as against Rs 9,724 crore reported in Q4FY25, registering a growth of 35.8 per cent YoY.

Bharti Airtel reported consolidated Profit After Tax (PAT) after exceptional items of Rs 7,325 crore in Q4FY26 compared to Rs 11,022 crore reported in the corresponding quarter previous year, reflecting a decline of 33.5 per cent YoY.

India Business Performance

India's revenues for Q4FY26 stood at Rs 39,566 crore, registering a growth of 7.7 per cent YoY. India's mobile revenues increased 8.3 per cent YoY, supported by customer additions and improved realisations.

Average Revenue Per User (ARPU), a key telecom industry indicator, improved to Rs 257 in Q4FY26 compared to Rs 245 in Q4FY25.

India mobile services EBITDA stood at Rs 17,479 crore, while EBITDA margin improved to 60.6 per cent in Q4FY26 from 59.2 per cent reported in the corresponding quarter last year. EBIT from India mobile services rose 19 per cent YoY to Rs 9,322 crore.

The Homes business continued strong momentum during the quarter, with revenue rising 37 per cent YoY to Rs 2,191 crore. EBITDA margin for the segment stood at 50.2 per cent.

Network Expansion And Operational Metrics

Bharti Airtel crossed the milestone of 650 million customers globally during Q4FY26, becoming the second-largest telecom operator globally by customer base.

During the quarter, the company deployed 2,426 towers and 16,746 mobile broadband base stations. During FY26, Airtel added 7,883 towers and deployed 43,290 kilometres of fibre to strengthen its digital infrastructure network.

The company stated that smartphone data customers increased by 20 million over the past year, reflecting a 7.2 per cent YoY growth.

Bharti Airtel FY26 Annual Performance

For the financial year ended March 31, 2026, Bharti Airtel reported consolidated revenues of Rs 2,10,973 crore as against Rs 1,72,935 crore reported in FY25, registering a growth of 22 per cent YoY.

Consolidated EBITDA for FY26 stood at Rs 1,21,268 crore with EBITDA margin at 57.5 per cent, improving by 3 percentage points YoY.

The company reported consolidated net profit of Rs 26,695 crore for FY26. Consolidated profit before tax before exceptional items stood at Rs 48,590 crore during the year.

India and South Asia revenues stood at Rs 1,55,066 crore in FY26 compared to Rs 1,40,605 crore in FY25. EBITDA from the segment rose 9 per cent YoY to Rs 93,197 crore, while EBITDA margin stood at 60.1 per cent.

Balance Sheet And Capex

Consolidated net debt excluding lease obligations declined to Rs 91,049 crore as on March 31, 2026, compared to Rs 1,38,509 crore as on March 31, 2025. Net debt-to-EBITDA ratio improved to 0.79x from 1.42x reported a year ago.

Capital expenditure during Q4FY26 stood at Rs 16,066 crore, while total capex for FY26 came in at Rs 47,522 crore.

Dividend Announcement

The Board of Directors recommended a final dividend of Rs 24 per fully paid-up equity share of face value Rs 5 each for FY26. The dividend is subject to shareholder approval at the ensuing AGM.

Strategic And Business Developments

During the quarter, Bharti Airtel announced a US$ 1 billion investment in Nxtra Data Limited by Alpha Wave Global, Carlyle and Anchorage Capital to expand the company’s data centre business across India. Airtel will also participate in the investment round.

Bharti Airtel and Google also announced a partnership to offer secure messaging services for users in India.

Airtel Africa partnered with SpaceX to launch Starlink Direct-to-Cell satellite connectivity services across 14 African markets, aimed at improving connectivity in remote areas.

The company also announced strategic infrastructure-sharing agreements with Vodacom Group in select African markets including Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a global communications solutions provider offering mobile services, broadband, digital TV, enterprise solutions, data centre services and digital payment platforms. The company operates across India, South Asia and Africa and serves more than 650 million customers globally.

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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not investment advice.