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Tag: Bharti Airtel

  • Bharti Airtel confirms it is discussing potential Tata Play DTH merger

    Bharti Airtel confirms it is discussing potential Tata Play DTH merger

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel has confirmed it is in discussions with the Tata group regarding a potential merger of their direct-to-home (DTH) operations. 

    In a brief statement, filed with the Bombay stock exchange, Bharti Airtel acknowledged that the two companies are in bilateral talks exploring the combination of Tata Play Ltd with Bharti Telemedia Ltd, a subsidiary of Airtel. The potential transaction would need to be structured in a manner “acceptable to all parties.”

    It however cautioned that discussions remain at an early stage, with no firm agreements reached.

    The clarification follows reports in mainstream media about an imminent “mega DTH merger” between the two business groups.

    If successful, the merger would create one of India’s largest DTH operators, potentially reshaping the country’s pay television landscape.

    Neither company has provided details regarding timeframes, valuation, or potential regulatory hurdles that would need to be addressed for the transaction to proceed.

  • Airtel and Apple join hands to offer exclusive TV+ and Music perks

    Airtel and Apple join hands to offer exclusive TV+ and Music perks

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel has locked in an exclusive partnership with Apple, making Apple TV+ and Apple Music available for its home wifi and postpaid customers. The deal unlocks premium entertainment benefits for Airtel users, giving them access to Apple’s acclaimed content across multiple platforms.

    Airtel’s new offer ensures that home wifi users on plans starting at Rs 999 can enjoy Apple TV+, streaming on multiple devices without restrictions. Meanwhile, postpaid customers on plans above Rs 999 gain access to Apple TV+ and six months of free Apple Music—a major win for music and entertainment lovers.

    Bharti Airtel CMO & CEO – connected homes Siddharth Sharma highlighted the significance of this collaboration, “We are excited to join hands with Apple and bring their premium video and music content exclusively to Airtel users. This partnership is a game-changer, offering millions of our home wifi and Postpaid customers access to Apple’s world-class entertainment catalogue. We believe this will redefine how our customers consume content.”

    Apple India director – content and services Shalini Poddar echoed this enthusiasm, “Partnering with Airtel allows us to expand access to Apple TV+ and Apple Music to millions of users. Our goal is to make award-winning stories, music, and entertainment accessible to all, and this collaboration takes us one step closer to that vision.”

    Airtel subscribers can now binge on Apple TV+ originals, including hits like Ted Lasso, Severance, The Morning Show, Slow Horses, Silo, Shrinking, and Disclaimer. Upcoming releases such as Wolfs and The Gorge will also be available. Meanwhile, Apple Music users will experience an ad-free music catalogue, featuring expertly curated playlists, live artist interviews, and exclusive features like spatial audio and Apple Music sing.

    Airtel’s home wifi plans (Rs 999, Rs 1,099, Rs 1,599, and Rs 3,999) offer not just Apple TV+, but also streaming perks across platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Zee5, and JioHotstar. The blazing-fast speeds of up to 1 gbps ensure an uninterrupted viewing and listening experience.

    Postpaid users on Rs 999, Rs 1,199, Rs 1,399, and Rs 1,749 plans can enjoy increasing data limits, multiple SIM add-ons, and access to a bundle of 20+ OTT services along with Apple TV+ and Apple Music.

    With Apple TV+ and Apple Music now exclusively bundled with Airtel, the telecom giant has upped the ante in India’s digital entertainment space. As content consumption continues to surge, Airtel is ensuring its users are at the forefront of the streaming revolution.

  • Airtel lands major subsea data connectvity cable in Chennai

    Airtel lands major subsea data connectvity cable in Chennai

    MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel has completed the landing of the SEA-ME-WE-6 submarine cable in Chennai, following its earlier landing in Mumbai last December. The 21,700-kilometre system connects India with Singapore and Marseille, France, traversing Egypt via terrestrial routes.

    The telecommunications provider worked with SubCom, the system’s primary contractor, to complete both landings. The new cable will deliver 220 terabits per second of global capacity to India.

    Sharat Sinha

    “This investment strengthens our secure, diverse and scalable global network,” said Airtel Business director and chief executive Sharat Sinha. “Landing one of the largest cable systems into our facilities complements our existing network of 400,000 route-kilometres across 50 countries.”

    The cable will integrate with Nxtra by Airtel’s data centres in Mumbai and Chennai, enabling global hyperscalers and businesses to access international connectivity and data centre services seamlessly.

    As a consortium member, Airtel has invested in the main cable system and co-built a private network of four fibre pairs connecting Singapore, Chennai and Mumbai. 

    The company’s global network now includes investments in 34 submarine cables, with recent additions such as 2Africa, SJC2 and Equiano, linking India to key regions across Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and the United States. Its subsea network also includes i2i Cable Network, Europe India Gateway (EIG), IMEWE, SEA-ME-WE-4, AAG, Unity, EASSy, Gulf Bridge International (GBI), and the MENA Cable.

  • India, Africa growth propels Bharti Airtel to strong Q3 FY25

    India, Africa growth propels Bharti Airtel to strong Q3 FY25

    MUMBAI:  It is one of the two telco bellwethers in India, the other being Jio. And it appears to be doing very well, thank you going by Bharti Airtel Ltd’s  consolidated results for the third quarter ended 31 December 2024. It reported significant growth driven by momentum in India and stable performance in Africa.

    Financial Highlights:

    * Consolidated revenue rose 19.1 per cent  year-on-year (YoY) to Rs 45,129 crore, up 8.8 per cent  sequentially.
    * Consolidated EBITDA stood at Rs 24,880 crore, marking a 24.1 per cent  YoY increase, with a margin of 55.1 per cent.
    * EBITDA after lease expenses (EBITDAaL) increased by 26.1 per cent  YoY to Rs 21,474 crore, reflecting a margin of 47.6 per cent .
    * EBIT grew 33.3 per cent  YoY to Rs 13,126 crore, with a margin of 29.1 per cent .
    * Net income (before exceptional items) reached Rs 5,514 crore, up 121.3 per cent  YoY.
    * Capex for the quarter totalled Rs 9,161 crore.

    India Business Performance:
    * Revenue from India operations rose 24.6 per cent  YoY to Rs 34,654 crore.
    * Mobile services revenue increased by 21.4 per cent  YoY, driven by tariff adjustments, higher smartphone adoption, and portfolio premiumisation.
    * Mobile average revenue per user (ARPU) improved to Rs 245, up from Rs 208 in Q3 FY24.
    * Mobile data consumption surged by 23.2 per cent  YoY, with average consumption per customer at 24.5 GB per month.
    * EBITDA rose 32.3 per cent  YoY to Rs 19,850 crore, with an EBITDA margin of 57.3 per cent .
    * EBITDAaL stood at Rs 17,641 crore, with a margin of 50.9 per cent .
    * Capex for India operations was Rs 7,980 crore.
     

    Segment Highlights:

    * Homes Business: Revenue grew by 18.7 per cent  YoY, with 674,000 net customer additions driven by fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and fixed wireless access (FWA). The customer base reached 9.2 million.
    * Airtel Business: Revenue increased by 8.7 per cent  YoY despite global pressures. Emerging digital services, including cloud and security, showed strong growth.
    * Digital TV: Revenue declined by 2.9 per cent  YoY to Rs 761 crore. The customer base stood at 15.8 million.
    * Passive Infrastructure Services: Contributed 5.7 per cent  YoY and 5 per cent  quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) to India revenue growth.

    Africa Operations:
    * Revenue in constant currency rose by 21.3 per cent  YoY.
    * EBITDA margin stood at 47.1 per cent , while EBIT margin was 29.4 per cent .
    * Customer base reached 163.1 million.
    * Capex for Africa operations totalled Rs 1,181 crore.

    Operational Achievements:
    * Bharti Airtel rolled out approximately 5,200 towers and 16,300 mobile broadband stations during the quarter.
    * The company expanded its fibre network by 47,100 km YoY.
    * The anti-spam tool notified 252 million customers and identified over 1 million spammers.
    * Airtel’s AI-driven network detected over 7 million spam SMS daily.
    * Zee5 was added to the Airtel Xstream Play platform, enhancing content offerings.

    Debt Management:
    * Net debt to EBITDAaL ratio (excluding lease obligations) stood at 1.56 times.
    * The company prepaid Rs 3,626 crore towards deferred spectrum liabilities.

    Vice-chairman &  managing director Gopal Vittal commented: “We delivered a strong quarter with consolidated revenue of Rs 45,129 crore. Our India mobile business showed robust performance, driven by tariff adjustments and premiumisation. We continued to lead the industry with ARPU growth and added 6.5 million smartphone users. Homes business saw accelerated customer additions, while Airtel Business navigated global headwinds with stability.

    “Our strong cash generation and prudent capital allocation allowed us to continue deleveraging and prepay high-cost spectrum dues. Further tariff corrections are necessary to sustain investments and create long-term value for the industry,” he added.

  • Airtel & Bajaj Finance to jointly offer financial services

    Airtel & Bajaj Finance to jointly offer financial services

    MUMBAI: Bharti and Bajaj are getting together. No, it’s not a couple from heartland India that’s getting hitched (would we be writing about a couple from rural India? Just kidding, on second thoughts, we might. But nonetheless this  punning around was to make this heavy piece feel light!)

    Anyway getting  back to business: it’s India’s second largest telco Bharti Airtel and non-banking finance company Bajaj Finance that have p has shaken hands to create a  one-of-its-kind digital platform for financial services.

    The partnership brings together Airtel’s vast customer base of 370 million, 12 lakh+ strong distribution network, and Bajaj Finance’s diversified suite of 27 product lines, and distribution heft of 5,000+ branches and 70,000 field agents.

    Under the agreement, firstly, Airtel will progressively offer close to 10 Bajaj Finance’s financial products to its customers within this calendar year. Secondly,  customers can apply for Airtel-Bajaj Finserv Insta EMI card through the Airtel Thanks App, providing access to a range of offers and flexible EMI options.

    Bharti Airtel vice-chairman & MD Gopal Vittal said, “We are building Airtel Finance as a strategic asset for the group and will continue to invest in and grow the business.”

    Bajaj Finance managing director Rajeev Jain, added: “Together with Airtel, we seek to be the financier of choice to India and enable millions to access financial services, even in remote areas.”

    When it does manage to do that, it sure would have proved to  have been a valuable handshake. 

  • Shivani Maira Shankar appointed as talent partner at Peak XV Partners

    Shivani Maira Shankar appointed as talent partner at Peak XV Partners

    MUMBAI:  Shivani Maira Shankar has been appointed as the talent partner at Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital), effective January 2025. In this role, she will lead talent acquisition efforts for the firm and its portfolio companies across various global regions, including India, Australia, MENA, and Southeast Asia. 

    With a robust background in executive search, Shivani brings extensive experience in helping organisations build high-performing leadership teams. She has a proven track record of partnering with founders to identify mission-driven leaders and tackling talent-related challenges within their firms.

    Shivani’s history includes key roles at Sequoia Capital, where she served as vice president of human capital, and at Executive Access India, where she excelled as associate director. Her expertise encompasses strategic recruitment processes, client and candidate relationship management, and developing top-tier talent pipelines.

    Shivani holds an MA in organisational behaviour from Amity University and a BA in psychology from Delhi University. Her educational journey includes valuable hands-on experience gained through an internship with Bharti Airtel.

    As she steps into this new role at Peak XV, Shivani Maira Shankar looks forward to driving impactful talent strategies and contributing to organisational success in the dynamic investment landscape.
     

  • Jio Platforms engages Gurpreet Phull as head-content & alliances

    Jio Platforms engages Gurpreet Phull as head-content & alliances

    MUMBAI: He’s been at Jio Platforms Ltd (JPL) for the past three months and Gurpreet Phull has kept his joining the MDA group company low-key. Today, however, he came out and announced  on Linkedin that he is “on a new journey. This time for the larger impact, to the new revolution” as head – content & alliances, JioTV Os, Jio App Store, Jio Homes and Jio Devices.

    He has been on the content distribution and alliances side for the past decade. Beginning May 2015 till February 2019 at Bharti Airtel as  lead- content alliances and acquisition strategy- DTH and mobile TV app, he was one of the founding members of Airtel Xtream. Moving on he joined Dish TV from February 2019 to November 2021 as head product marketing and content marketing strategy. He heeded the call from OTTPlay CEO & founder Avinash Mudaliar to head partnerships and growth at HT Digital Streams and he stayed there for three years until the JPL offer came his way.

    However, the B.Tech and IIM-C post graduate, began his working life as a software engineer at BirlaSoft and then worked in Raymond for almost four years, first, as a senior management trainee for a year and a half ,and then straightaway in the CEO’s office as his executive assistant. He also had a nine-month spell  at Myntra which gave him exposure to the ecommerce world. 
     

  • Bharti Airtel prepays Rs 3,626 crores to clear 2016 spectrum liabilities

    Bharti Airtel prepays Rs 3,626 crores to clear 2016 spectrum liabilities

    MUMBAI: Imagine the weight of debt lifting off your shoulders-the sheer relief, the freedom, and the excitement of a stronger financial footing.

    Now, picture that feeling at a corporate scale.

    Bharti Airtel, India’s telecom giant, has just experienced that moment of exhilaration.

    Today, by prepaying Rs 3,626 crore to the Department of Telecom, settling its spectrum dues from 2016, Airtel has hit a major financial milestone. The move isn’t just about clearing debts—it’s a bold stride in optimising its fiscal health and saying goodbye to high-cost liabilities, all while strengthening its financial backbone.

    The company has prepaid a total of Rs 28,320 crores in spectrum liabilities during this calendar year, clearing dues that carried interest rates exceeding 8.65 per cent. The prepayment demonstrates Airtel’s commitment to improving its balance sheet and strengthening its financial flexibility.

    In June, the Sunil Mittal-promoted telecom operator prepaid all its deferred liabilities for spectrum acquired in the 2012 and 2015 auctions, where interest rates were higher at 9.75 per cent and 10 per cent. The prepayment for these auctions amounted to Rs 7,904 crore. Earlier in the year, Airtel had also prepaid Rs 8,325 crore to the government, clearing part of its deferred liabilities for the spectrum acquired in the 2015 auctions. In 2015, Airtel secured 111.6 MHz of spectrum for Rs 29,130.20 crore, with an upfront payment of Rs 7,832.58 crore, as per the auction rules at that time.

  • Airtel’s AI solution flags eight billion spam calls in 2.5 months

    Airtel’s AI solution flags eight billion spam calls in 2.5 months

    MUMBAI: Remember the days when our phones buzzed incessantly with spam calls, and we wished for a magic wand to make them disappear? It felt like a far-off dream, especially during those pandemic days when AI was making life easier in ways we never imagined. Fast forward to today, and the digital universe is buzzing with AI tools for every conceivable purpose—yet the menace of spam calls persisted, poking its nose into our daily peace.

    But then, Airtel stepped in, promising us relief with its AI-driven spam-blocking innovation. The big question was: would it truly work, or would it just be another tech gimmick? Well, the results are in, and they’re nothing short of astonishing, albeit with a sprinkle of curiosity.

    In just 75 days, Airtel’s AI flagged a jaw-dropping eight billion spam calls and 800 million spam SMS messages. Impressive, right? But as we sift through the details, the big question looms: has Airtel really silenced the spam storm, or are there gaps to fill? Let’s dive into the numbers and see if this is the revolution we’ve been waiting for—or if we’re left wanting more.

    Airtel’s sophisticated AI algorithm has been instrumental in identifying approximately 1 million spammers daily, alerting 252 million unique customers to suspicious activities. This initiative has led to a 12 per cent reduction in the number of customers answering spam calls, marking a significant step toward user security.

    Key insights from Airtel’s spam report

    ●    Spam Sources: Over 35 per cent of spam calls originated from landlines, with Delhi leading as both the top spam call origin and recipient region. For SMS, Gujarat emerged as the top origin, targeting users in Mumbai, Chennai, and Gujarat.

    ●    Demographic Impact: Male customers accounted for 76 per cent of spam calls, with those aged 36–60 receiving 48 per cent of calls. Senior citizens were notably less targeted, at just 8 per cent.

    ●    Device Preferences: Phones priced between Rs 15,000 and Rs 20,000 were the most frequent recipients, comprising 22 per cent of spam calls.

    ●    Peak Hours: Spam activity peaked between noon and 3 PM, with a notable 40 per cent drop in volume on Sundays.

    Airtel’s AI-driven system meticulously analyses diverse parameters to provide real-time detection, ensuring privacy and convenience for its users. This innovation solidifies Airtel’s position as India’s first network to deploy a comprehensive spam-blocking solution, delivering industry-leading security measures.

    “We are committed to safeguarding our customers from the growing menace of spam. Our advanced AI system reflects our dedication to delivering superior experiences while prioritising user privacy,” an Airtel spokesperson said.

    With this initiative, Airtel reaffirms its commitment to enhancing user trust and redefining industry standards. The solution not only curbs intrusive communications but also paves the way for a safer and more secure digital environment.

  • Bharti Airtel awards multibillion dollar contract to Ericsson

    Bharti Airtel awards multibillion dollar contract to Ericsson

    MUMBAI: It’s network upgradation time at Bharti Airtel. India’s second largest telco has awarded a multi-year, multibillion extension deal to Swedish company Ericsson for 4G and 5G radio access network (RAN) products and solutions. Ericsson has been a trusted connectivity partner for Airtel for over 25 years, supporting every generation of mobile communications.

    As per the new contract, Ericsson will deploy centralised RAN and open RAN-ready solutions for network transformation which will help customers with wider coverage and enhanced capacity on the network. Ericsson will also undertake the software upgradation of its current deployed 4G radios thereby enhancing the customer experience.  

    A 5G RAN relies on a fully coordinated, multi-layer network with low-band, mid-band and high-band to provide wireless connectivity to devices and deliver the best network performance. New 5G use cases will deliver new revenue streams for communication service providers (CSPs) and new connectivity opportunities for subscribers.  These use cases include:  cloud gaming, AR/VR,  autonomous driving, fixed wireless access  
    In order to deliver these use cases, the RAN consists of antennas, radios, baseband (RAN compute), and RAN software to enable incredible speeds and mobility.  

    Ericsson currently powers 170 live 5G networks in more than 70 countries. Ericsson’s technology leadership is recognized by independent  analysts such as Frost Radar’s 5G Network Infrastructure Market 2024 , where Ericsson was ranked as the leader for the fourth consecutive year. Ericsson has also been positioned as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for 5G for the fourth year in a row.  

    Says Bharti Airtel CTO  Randeep Sekhon:  ”The strategic partnership with Ericsson to deploy the latest technology is a testament to Airtel’s pursuit of network excellence. This deployment will enable us to further improve the speed, reliability, and coverage of our network, ensuring an exceptional experience for our customers.”    
                                
    Adds Ericsson south-east Asia, Oceania & India head Andres Vicente: “This partnership extension reflects our shared vision to build a robust 4G and 5G infrastructure for Bharti Airtel to serve the connectivity needs of its  customer base – including the new 5G use cases as they emerge. We will work closely with Bharti Airtel to deliver great user experiences for their customers.”  

    (Picture courtesy: Ericsson)