Bharti Airtel, the second-largest telecom provider in India, announced a 50% year-over-year (YoY) increase in Q4 net profit to 3,006 crore on Tuesday. The telco’s net profit increased sequentially from 1,588 crores in Q3 by 89%, exceeding expert expectations of a 54% gain.
All About the Bharti Airtel Profit Increase!
According to expert expectations, Airtel’s revenue in the March quarter increased 14% YoY and 0.5% sequentially to 36,009 crores. In FY23, Airtel’s sales increased 19.4% to 1.39 lakh crore, while its net profit nearly doubled to 8,346 crore. In the March quarter, its overall expenses increased 12% to 17,312 crores, while its spectrum usage fees decreased 6% YoY to 2,828 crores.
While its 4G subscriber base climbed to 224.1 million from 216.7 million in Q3, Airtel’s average revenue per user (ARPU) stayed constant at 193 in the fourth quarter compared to the December quarter. Overall, its 4G customers climbed from 62% in the same quarter last year to 67% in Q4 as a percentage of all subscribers. “Our emphasis on acquiring quality customers has resulted in 7.4 million new 4G customers, and we exit the quarter with an industry-leading ARPU of 193,” stated Gopal Vittal, managing director of the telecom company.
The March quarter saw a 20.5% YoY increase in data consumption, which came in at 20.3GB per user per month, which helped Airtel’s ARPU expand. The company reported a little improvement in margins for the March quarter. In the fourth quarter of last year, the telco’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) margins increased to 52.2% from 50.76%.
While Airtel’s global customer base increased by 7.6 million from the prior quarter to 518.4 million during the March quarter, India’s subscriber base increased by 6 million sequentially. Speaking about the company’s 5G deployment strategy, Vittal stated that the coverage would be extended to every town by the end of 2023, three months earlier than the initial goal of March 2024. In over 3,000 cities and towns across the nation, Airtel’s 5G services are currently operational. In 2,691 cities nationwide, Reliance Jio, its competitor, presently offers 5G service.
