Bharti Airtel Q1 FY26 Results Preview: Profit likely to fall sequentially despite expected ARPU growth?

Bharti Airtel Q1 FY26 Earnings Preview: New Delhi-headquartered Bharti Airtel is expected to stage a mixed show in its financial results due on Tuesday. The private sector telecom giant is estimated to register a sequential decline in its net profit though its margin is expected to remain steady. For the corresponding quarter a year ago, the company’s earnings included an exceptional loss of Rs 140 crore and a deferred tax adjustment of Rs 4,233 crore. 

Here’s what to expect in Bharti Airtel’s Q1 results: 

Bharti Airtel Q1 FY26 Earnings Preview | What to expect in top and bottom lines?

According to Zee Business research, Bharti Airtel is estimated to report an adjusted net profit of Rs 6,024 crore for the quarter ended June 30, translating to a decline of 13.1 per cent compared with the previous three months.

Its June-quarter revenue is estimated at Rs 48,740 crore, up 1.8 per cent sequentially, according to the research.

How may Bharti Airtel perform operationally? Will its margin decline?

Bharti Airtel’s first-quarter margin is pegged at 56.3 per cent for the April-June period versus 56.4 per cent for the previous three months. 

The telecom major is estimated to log Rs 27,429 crore in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), marking 1.6 per cent growth on a quarter-on-quarter basis. 

Bharti Airtel Sales | What to expect in average revenue per user? 

Bharti Airtel’s Q1 ARPU is pegged at Rs 248. This is Rs 3 higher compared to its ARPU in the previous quarter. 

ARPU or average revenue per user is an important metric that determines the average amount of money a telecom service provider earns from each subscriber or user. 

ARPU is a key measure of a telecom company’s sales.  

Other key things to watch out for 

Investors are set to keenly look out for the following in the Bharti Airtel Q1 results: 

• Growth in ARPU owing to migration to 4G: The company is migrating its users from 2G and 3G networks to its 4G network while expanding its 5G network. 
• Indus Towers accounting: All eyes will be on the Bharti Airtel subsidiary’s numbers.  
• The company’s Africa and home business numbers are estimated to improve sequentially.
• However, its enterprise unit is expected to display signs of weakness.

Bharti Airtel shares

Bharti Airtel shares registered mild gains in the first half of the day on Tuesday as investors awaited the company’s earnings announcement. 

At 11 am, the stock held on to the green with a gain of 0.7 per cent, having risen as much as 1.1 per cent to Rs 1,936.7 apiece on BSE in intraday trade.

The largecap telecom stock has risen 21 per cent in 2025 so far, outperforming a 3.8 per cent gain in the Nifty50 index.