NEW DELHI — Bharti Enterprises Chairman and founder Sunil Bharti Mittal said Thursday that he expects to hand over the reins of Bharti Airtel to the next generation over the next decade.
Speaking on the company’s conference call, Mittal said Bharti Telecom should eventually return to a controlling shareholding position of about 51%, or slightly above 50%, as the leadership transition takes shape.
“If you really ask me, my own wish is that in the next, I know it is hard to put in years on it and then next decade. As I kind of come to a point where I hand over the reins to the next generation and shareholders, Bharti Telecom should get back to controlling shareholding 51 per cent or just over 50 per cent,” Mittal said.
The comments came a day after Mittal was reappointed chairman of Bharti Airtel for another five-year term, effective Oct. 1, 2026. The company’s board also approved the reappointment of Nisaba Godrej as an independent director for a second five-year term, effective Aug. 4.
Bharti Airtel reported that its India mobile services business contributed Rs 28,831 crore to total revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, up 8.3% from a year earlier. The growth was supported by a larger customer base and a roughly 5% increase in average revenue per user, which rose to Rs 257 from Rs 245.
The company posted consolidated net profit of Rs 7,325 crore for the March quarter, down 33.5% from a year earlier, mainly because of one-time provisions related to statutory and tax liabilities.
Airtel’s annual revenue crossed Rs 2 lakh crore for the first time. Consolidated revenue from operations rose 15.6% to Rs 55,383.2 crore in the fourth quarter from Rs 47,876.2 crore a year earlier, helped by a 40% increase in its Africa business.
Shares of Bharti Airtel rose more than 3% Thursday, a day after the company released its quarterly results. Despite the profit decline tied to the one-time charge, investors remained positive on the stock, citing the company’s operating strength and long-term fundamentals.
In March 2026, Airtel crossed 65 crore customers across its expanding business. (Source: IANS)
