Bharti Airtel Q2 profit rises 31%........

Bharti Airtel Limited reported consolidated net profit of ₹8,888 crore in Q2 FY27, up 31% year on year. Revenue rose 16.7% to ₹60,878 crore. The key operating number was ARPU, which increased to ₹271 from ₹256 a year earlier. Airtel also added 1.2 million postpaid customers, while its smartphone data customer base increased by 18.8 million year on year. The result shows that Airtel is improving monetisation without relying on a broad tariff increase since July 2024. However, higher network operating costs and licence fees limited the conversion of revenue growth into profit, which also caused the profit number to miss analyst expectations. My view is positive on the operating trend, particularly the rise in ARPU and premium customer additions. The next trigger is whether industry-wide tariff increases can further improve ARPU while cost growth remains controlled. Stance: Positive, with focus on ARPU and cost control. BHARTIARTL