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Tag: Bharti Airtel

  • Indian Telecom Carriers Face 5G Speeds Squeeze as Data Traffic Surges

    Indian Telecom Carriers Face 5G Speeds Squeeze as Data Traffic Surges

    Mobile subscribers in India are consuming an average of 31.1 gigabytes of cellular data each month, driving monthly mobile network traffic to 27.6 exabytes and squeezing real-world 5G connection speeds across major commercial centres.

    Monthly 5G volume climbed 70 per cent year over year to 12.9 exabytes, now accounting for 46.8 per cent of all cellular data traffic in the country, according to Nokia’s Mobile Broadband India Traffic Index 2026. Network capacity is falling behind that appetite. Even as carrier icons display 5G service on phone screens, users face sluggish response times and reduced throughput across shopping centres, transport hubs and high-density housing developments.

    Traffic Surges Overwhelm Local Cells

    Radio cells in major urban corridors now handle simultaneous demand for video streaming, cloud gaming, digital retail checkouts and video conferencing. When thousands of handsets connect to a single base station, available radio spectrum splits across those devices, causing local throughput to fall sharply regardless of advertised network capabilities.

    The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India reported that total wireless mobile data consumption reached 84,424 petabytes during the April to June quarter of 2026. That represents an 8.30 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase from 77,953 petabytes. Average monthly wireless data usage per subscriber rose 6.32 per cent to 28.39 gigabytes over the same period.

    Reliance Jio reported in its October 2026 financial disclosures that its user base included roughly 300 million 5G customers out of 542 million total connections. Individual monthly data usage on Jio’s network reached 44.2 gigabytes per subscriber, up from 38.7 gigabytes twelve months earlier. Handling that traffic volume demands constant radio densification and high-capacity backhaul lines.

    The Backhaul Bottleneck and Indoor Walls

    Carrier deployments show rapid physical additions, but transmission feeds from base stations to core networks frequently fall short. Fixed wireless access services have intensified that strain. Home broadband products such as Reliance Jio’s JioAirFiber and Bharti Airtel’s Xstream AirFiber now generate more than 25 per cent of all 5G data traffic in India, locking heavy continuous data streams onto cellular masts.

    Physical structural barriers compound the problem. High-frequency 5G radio signals, particularly mid-band 3.3 GHz frequencies, struggle to penetrate concrete walls, metallic cladding and coated window glass in indoor commercial venues. When indoor signal strength falls, base stations downgrade customer devices to more robust but slower transmission modulations, cutting download rates.

    Regulator drive tests conducted in July 2026 across Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly logged 122 poor-signal samples for Airtel, 181 for Jio, 401 for Vodafone Idea and 3,904 for state-run BSNL across roughly 65,000 samples per operator along 309.7 kilometres of roadways and hotspots. Cellular operators rely on hardware vendors like Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung Networks and Mavenir for carrier aggregation and active antenna arrays, but equipment on towers cannot bypass missing fibre lines.

    Operator Speeds and Consumer Grievances

    Performance gaps between operators remain wide in field measurements. Testing conducted by nPerf across real users between April 2025 and March 2026 showed Bharti Airtel leading average download performance at 113.81 megabits per second, with an upload rate of 16.84 Mbps and latency of 58.98 milliseconds. Reliance Jio recorded 94.22 Mbps down, 8.97 Mbps up and latency of 62.09 milliseconds.

    Vodafone Idea trailed with average download speeds of 75.80 Mbps, higher upload speeds of 14.51 Mbps and elevated latency of 111.60 milliseconds. BSNL delivered 15.11 Mbps down and 5.45 Mbps up, reflecting its reliance on an indigenous 4G network deployed with TCS, Tejas Networks and C-DOT. State filings showed BSNL operated 95,511 active 4G sites out of 97,672 installed units as of January 15, 2026.

    Capital Allocation and Network Expansion

    Private operators have pursued diverging technical strategies to maintain performance. Reliance Jio built its standalone 5G network from the outset, whereas Bharti Airtel expanded via non-standalone 5G configurations while adding infrastructure. Airtel deployed more than 2,900 new 5G sites across Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir over 12 months, covering 77 districts, alongside 2,750 sites in Gujarat.

    Vodafone Idea is executing a phased catch-up strategy. After servicing 43 cities across 17 priority circles, the company mapped out an expansion in March 2026 targeting 90 additional cities to reach 133 municipal markets. Network equipment suppliers including Nokia, Ericsson and Samsung have secured rollout contracts to modernize Vi’s physical gear, but spectrum density in residential districts remains thin.

    Retailers and mobile commerce operators rely directly on cellular network stability at the point of sale. Digital payments, dynamic in-store inventory tracking and rapid logistics fulfillment require low-latency cell handoffs that degraded 5G connections fail to deliver during peak foot-traffic hours. The pressure now shifts to municipal fibre approvals and small-cell indoor installations.

    The next major performance test will come as Vodafone Idea works to operationalize its expanded 133-city footprint.

  • Bharti Airtel Misses Profit Forecast as Network Costs Climb 11 per Cent

    Bharti Airtel Misses Profit Forecast as Network Costs Climb 11 per Cent

    Bharti Airtel reported a second-quarter consolidated net profit of 88.88 billion rupees, equivalent to 940.45 million dollars, missing market expectations as network operating expenses rose.

    Consensus estimates compiled by LSEG projected net profit at 96.73 billion rupees for the three months ended September 30, even as total revenue increased 16.7 per cent to 608.78 billion rupees.

    Network costs jumped 11 per cent during the period, driven by the maintenance and operation of telecom infrastructure across the country. Licence fees climbed 13 per cent, pushing total quarterly expenses up approximately 15 per cent to 259.32 billion rupees. Consolidated profit nevertheless gained from the 67.92 billion rupees recorded in the corresponding quarter a year prior, though top-line growth could not fully cushion operational inflation.

    Tariff Limits and Premium Migration

    Average revenue per user increased 6 per cent year-on-year to 271 rupees, keeping Airtel ahead of domestic peers on unit realisations. The metric gained traction as the carrier added 18.8 million customers to its combined 4G and 5G footprint. Without broad-based tariff increases across the Indian market since July 2024, the business leaned on product pruning to lift receipts. Airtel removed several lower-tier prepaid denominations during the quarter, steering entry-level customers toward costlier recharge tiers.

    That migration strategy reflects the ceiling facing Indian operators until the next coordinated price adjustment takes place. Relying entirely on organic plan migrations carries friction, particularly as inflation pressures lower-income prepaid consumers. Brokerage Centrum projects an industry-wide tariff increase of 12 to 15 per cent across the next four to five months, an intervention that would directly feed operating margins.

    The Market Share Contest With Jio

    Competition across India remains defined by the pricing environment established since Reliance Jio entered the sector in 2016. Airtel closed the September quarter with an Indian customer base of 498.7 million, up 10.9 per cent year-on-year. That total leaves the operator trailing Jio, which commands 542.4 million subscribers.

    For mobile hardware distributors and digital platform operators, the divergence between the two dominant players shapes commercial exposure. Jio continues to capture volume across price-sensitive tiers, while Airtel defends higher-value urban and postpaid accounts through network coverage investments. Maintaining that premium positioning requires elevated capital allocation toward 5G base stations, driving the maintenance overhead that clipped Airtel’s quarterly earnings.

    Regional Support From African Operations

    International operations provided a counterweight to domestic margin compression. Revenue from Airtel Africa, which spans 14 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and delivers approximately one quarter of total group revenue, advanced 37.6 per cent.

    The current operating performance follows a prolonged period of post-auction network rollout across India, where capital spending on 5G spectrum and hardware converted into recurring maintenance obligations. While earlier quarters benefited from initial 5G user migrations, operating expenses have now caught up with network densification.

    Market attention now shifts to the timing of broad-based price adjustments, with operators balancing customer retention against the projected 12 to 15 per cent tariff revision expected before the end of the fiscal year.

  • Ericsson Bets on AI Traffic and 550 Million 5G Users to Drive India Growth

    Ericsson Bets on AI Traffic and 550 Million 5G Users to Drive India Growth

    Ericsson expects artificial intelligence applications and rising monthly data traffic to fuel a second wave of network investment in India, where 5G subscribers reached 550 million by September 2026.

    Monthly data consumption across Indian networks has climbed to between 36 and 37 gigabytes per user, according to company figures presented at the India Mobile Congress in New Delhi.

    The Swedish telecom equipment vendor is seeking fresh revenue after the rapid initial rollout of fifth-generation mobile infrastructure cooled. India accounted for 12 percent of Ericsson’s regional business covering South East Asia, Oceania, and India in 2025, down from 20 percent in 2023 during the peak of initial carrier deployments.

    Network Capacity Over Pure Consumer Use Cases

    Indian operators deployed 5G across 99.9 percent of the country’s districts in less than four years, making it one of the fastest national buildouts globally. The buildout occurred primarily because carriers needed immediate spectrum efficiency and radio capacity rather than waiting for specialized consumer applications.

    Nitin Bansal, managing director for India and head of networks for South East Asia, Oceania, and India at Ericsson, noted that 5G currently reaches roughly one-third of the country’s population. He argued that shifting directly to 5G rather than expanding older 4G infrastructure provided the necessary capacity to handle escalating consumer usage.

    Direct monetization remains the chief challenge for telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. Both carriers spent heavily on spectrum auctions and radio deployments starting in late 2022 and are now pushing higher-margin services to improve average revenue per user.

    Fixed Wireless and Enterprise Slicing

    Fixed Wireless Access has become the fastest monetization channel for Indian network operators looking to bypass fixed-line broadband delays. Data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India showed 13.45 million 5G FWA subscribers active at the end of August 2026.

    Service differentiation is shifting toward premium enterprise and high-tier retail customers. Bharti Airtel introduced commercial 5G network slicing, carving out dedicated network resources to provide guaranteed speeds and lower latency to postpaid retail subscribers.

    For equipment vendors including Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung, these software-defined features generate recurring software licensing fees rather than purely hardware-driven revenue.

    Artificial Intelligence Shifts Network Requirements

    Emerging artificial intelligence workloads on mobile devices are changing baseline infrastructure demands across Asian markets. Generative AI tools and spatial computing applications require heavy uplink capacity and reduced latency, forcing operators to tune cell sites that were originally configured primarily for downlink video streaming.

    Ericsson expects carriers to reconfigure their 5G standalone cores to handle automated traffic management and machine-learning compute loads. Critical infrastructure monitoring and industrial automation in manufacturing hubs around Pune, Chennai, and Gujarat are also pulling private 5G deployments into commercial operation.

    Vendors face pressure to prove these upgrades deliver real cost savings. Indian telecom operators operate with some of the lowest tariffs in the world, leaving slim margins for speculative infrastructure spending without clear returns.

    Targeting One Billion Subscribers by 2030

    India launched commercial 5G services in October 2022 and has since become one of the two largest mobile data markets alongside China. The central government has set an official target of one billion 5G subscribers by 2030.

    Meeting that target requires converting roughly 450 million additional mobile users from legacy 4G and 2G connections over the next four years. That conversion will hinge on the availability of entry-level 5G smartphones priced below 8,000 rupees, alongside wider rural cell coverage where standalone economics remain tight.

  • India Telecom Base Hits 1.35 Billion as 5G Fixed Wireless Expands

    India Telecom Base Hits 1.35 Billion as 5G Fixed Wireless Expands

    India’s total telephone subscriber base expanded by 6.20 million connections in July 2026 to reach 1.35 billion, according to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India.

    Monthly growth of 0.46 per cent lifted overall wireless subscriptions to 1.31 billion, while wireline connections ticked up 0.39 per cent to 48.01 million. National wireless tele-density crossed a key threshold, rising from 89.71 per cent in June to 90.04 per cent. Urban mobile connections climbed 0.57 per cent during the month, outpacing rural mobile subscriber growth of 0.24 per cent.

    Concentration in broadband access

    Broadband lines reached 1.094 billion at the end of July, up from 1.09 billion in June. Mobile wireless remains the primary access route for consumers, representing 1.03 billion connections after growing 0.59 per cent. Fixed wired lines rose 0.90 per cent to 48.14 million.

    Five operators control 98.59 per cent of the broadband market. Reliance Jio retained the lead with 535.12 million subscribers, followed by Bharti Airtel at 384.23 million. Vodafone Idea held third place with 129.96 million users, while state-run BSNL and Atria Convergence Technologies followed with 27.28 million and 2.47 million connections, respectively.

    Rural adoption of 5G fixed wireless

    Fixed wireless access outpaced traditional connectivity categories, climbing 2.60 per cent month-on-month to 18.84 million lines. Within that segment, 5G-based fixed wireless subscriptions reached 13.21 million, up from 12.94 million in June after adding 272,820 connections.

    Rural households accounted for 50.31 per cent of all 5G fixed wireless connections, slightly ahead of the 49.69 per cent recorded across urban centers. The split indicates that operators are relying on wireless broadband to bypass physical fiber bottlenecks outside major metropolitan areas.

    Subscriber switching remained high across the country, with 15.98 million users submitting mobile number portability requests in July. Uttar Pradesh East generated the highest churn volume with 2.29 million porting requests, followed by Uttar Pradesh West at 1.55 million.

  • Bharti Airtel Launches Exciting ‘Airtel Cloud’ in Collaboration with Singtel, Globe, and Airtel Africa

    Bharti Airtel Launches Exciting ‘Airtel Cloud’ in Collaboration with Singtel, Globe, and Airtel Africa

    Bharti Airtel has unveiled an innovative AI-powered cloud and software platform for enterprises, launching it through its wholly owned subsidiary, Xtelify. The platform, named ‘Airtel Cloud,’ is poised to accelerate digital transformation for Indian businesses and global telecom operators, delivering robust security, scalability, and intelligence on a large scale. In a marketplace where digital prowess is the new currency, Airtel has positioned itself as a formidable player.

    Transforming Airtel’s Offerings for the Global Market

    Xtelify represents a pivotal shift for Airtel, as the company expands its in-house digital platforms—which have previously supported its large-scale operations—into external markets. The Airtel Cloud platform is accessible to enterprises throughout India, capable of processing a staggering 140 crore transactions per minute. Backed by a team of 300 certified cloud experts, the platform is housed in next-generation sustainable data centers and utilizes generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) for provisioning. Its services include infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and advanced connectivity, with secure migration and zero vendor lock-in being standout features.

    A Vision for Secure Digital Growth

    Gopal Vittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, expressed enthusiasm for this development, stating, “Within Airtel, we have been actively harnessing digital innovations at unmatched scale to transform our services and enhance customer experience for many years. This involves powering over 590 million customer touchpoints and addressing some of the most intricate telecom challenges globally. All our applications run at a competitive cost on Airtel Cloud. Today, we’re excited to extend our telco-grade, sovereign-cloud platform, enabling Indian businesses to innovate faster, scale smarter, and remain secure in an ever-evolving digital landscape.” Vittal assured that all cloud controls will remain strictly within India, eliminating any risk of external access to sensitive data.

    Empowering Telecom Operations with AI

    Xtelify has also launched an AI-driven software suite designed to optimize telecom operations and enhance customer journeys, ultimately improving average revenue per user (ARPU). This comprehensive suite includes Xtelify Work for real-time workforce management, Xtelify Data Engine for operational intelligence, Xtelify IQ for customer experience analytics, and Xtelify Serve for personalized engagement and resolution. It’s as if the future of telecom is knocking on the door, demanding an innovative response.

    International Collaborations Amplify Global Reach

    In a noteworthy international initiative, Xtelify has formed partnerships with Singtel, Globe Telecom, and Airtel Africa. These agreements are set to implement various aspects of Xtelify’s offerings across multiple operations. Singtel will harness Xtelify Work for increased frontline efficiency, Globe Telecom plans to utilize Xtelify Serve to enhance customer service, and Airtel Africa will incorporate Xtelify Data Engine, Work, and IQ into its operations.

    Ng Tian Chong, CEO of Singtel Singapore, articulated the platform’s benefits, stating, “We are constantly seeking ways to better equip our field engineers to provide exceptional customer experiences. This platform allows us to reimagine our workflows with AI at the core, leading to improved efficiency and customer service.” The emphasis on optimizing dispatch and resource management not only expedites engineer response times but also contributes to lowering the carbon footprint—a win-win in today’s eco-conscious world.

    Jacques Barkhuizen, Group CIO of Airtel Africa, noted the transformative potential of this partnership, highlighting how it will enhance digital progress and uplift millions across Africa. Globe Telecom’s president and CEO, Carl Cruz, echoed this sentiment, explaining that integrating Xtelify’s AI-driven Case Management Platform reinforces their commitment to exceptional service from the initial customer contact to resolution. “We are proud to collaborate with Airtel and Xtelify,” Cruz added, “as we aim to elevate global customer experience standards.”

    Questions & Answers

    What is Airtel Cloud and what does it offer to enterprises?
    Airtel Cloud is an AI-powered cloud and software platform designed to facilitate digital transformation for Indian businesses and global telecom operators. It provides infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and advanced connectivity while ensuring secure migration and zero vendor lock-in.

    How does Xtelify enhance telecom operations?
    Xtelify’s AI-driven suite optimizes telecom operations by improving workforce management, operational intelligence, customer experience analytics, and personalized engagement, ultimately boosting average revenue per user (ARPU).

    What international partnerships has Xtelify established?
    Xtelify has formed significant partnerships with Singtel, Globe Telecom, and Airtel Africa, enabling various implementations of Xtelify’s offerings to enhance operational efficiency and customer service across these companies.

  • Ericsson and Bharti Airtel Extend Partnership

    Ericsson and Bharti Airtel Extend Partnership

    Under the new agreement, Ericsson will implement centralized RAN and Open RAN-ready solutions to transform the network, providing customers with broader coverage and increased capacity. Additionally, Ericsson will upgrade the software of its existing 4G radios to enhance the overall customer experience.-

    Randeep Sekhon, CTO of Bharti Airtel, stated, “The strategic partnership with Ericsson to deploy the latest technology demonstrates Airtel’s commitment to network excellence. This deployment will help us improve the speed, reliability, and coverage of our network, ensuring an exceptional experience for our customers.”

    Andres Vicente, Head of Ericsson Southeast Asia, Oceania, and India, commented, “This extension of our partnership reflects our joint goal to establish a strong 4G and 5G infrastructure for Bharti Airtel to meet the connectivity needs of its customer base, including emerging 5G use cases. We will collaborate closely with Bharti Airtel to deliver excellent user experiences for their customers.”

    As a global leader in 5G technology, Ericsson currently supports 170 operational 5G networks in over 70 countries. Ericsson’s technological expertise has been acknowledged by independent analysts, such as Frost Radar™ 5G Network Infrastructure Market 2024, where Ericsson has been ranked as the top performer for the fourth consecutive year.

    Moreover, Ericsson has maintained its position as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for 5G for the fourth year running. Having been a trusted connectivity partner for Airtel for more than 25 years, Ericsson has supported every generation of mobile communications. This strategic partnership underscores the shared commitment of Ericsson and Airtel in developing an advanced digital ecosystem in India.

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  • Bharti Airtel meets growing data consumption with new independent fiber company

    Bharti Airtel meets growing data consumption with new independent fiber company

    The owner of the telecom company, Sunil Bharti Mittal, announced the appointment of Savargaonkar and acknowledged his new role. Savargaonkar was previously the company’s director of networks, equivalent to chief technology officer, and today, he will continue to report to Gopal Vittal, Bharti Airtel’s CEO.

    “Given the significant growth in data consumption in recent years, we believe a robust and independent infrastructure company that serves the growing need of fiber in the telecom industry is critical,” Vittal announced.

    Bharti Airtel is about to transfer its fiber optic cable network to a wholly-owned subsidiary, Telesonic Networks Ltd, through low sales. The company manages 246,000 km of fiber optics, which is aggressively rising to meet increasing data growth. “Fiber assets from Telesonic may eventually be transferred to this new subsidiary,” a source commented.

    Not surprisingly, Nitin Soni, director, Asian corporates, at Fitch Ratings, found that it was of common sense to have an independent company that owns fiber since Airtel had previously formed a telecom tower joint venture – Indus Towers – with Vodafone India and Idea Cellular.

    “There is no point of duplication on capex spending like tower infrastructure. India is one of those countries where price competitiveness is so high that most telcos are taking the rational decision to make independent companies,” he said.

    But in order to become a true independent company, Airtel would have to well play its cards and sell a majority stake. This way, it will attract other players to use the assets, not so far of what it’s doing with its tower business, Soni said.

    “If you keep having stake, it won’t be regarded as truly independent by competitors like Reliance Jio, and would continue to build its own fiber. Unless assets are leased by Jio, these independent companies can’t grow,” he added.

    Airtel also appointed Randeep Singh Sekhon as the new chief of technology for its India and South Asia operations, replacing Savargaonkar. Sekhon, who will also report to Vittal, has a previous experience in various senior leadership roles with telcos in Malaysia and Indonesia being earlier CEO of Hutchison 3 Indonesia.

    These new appointments were announced following several events that happened in the company such as the exit of Airtel’s chief technology officer for mobile networks, Shyam Mardikar, who is widely speculated to be joining a rival telco and the departure of Airtel’s enterprise business head Ashok Ganapathy replaced by Ajay Chitkara, who now oversees both the domestic and global enterprise operations.

    Forming the new independent fiber company coincides with the preparation for another battle with Reliance Jio on the fiber optic network–the country’s wired broadband market. Airtel and Jio are having an intense price war in the wireless segment.

    It is expected that Jio will offer a mass-market wired-broadband product bundled with Internet-based television programming starting at about Rs 500 a month, almost half the current market rates for similar services.

    According to Soni, Airtel will benefit from the expansion of the market as Jio enters, but there will be pressure on the ARPUs which will decline by 30-50%. “In the short-term, Airtel will face revenue EBITDA declines in the home broadband segment and we are sure that in the medium term, they will benefit from the expansion of the market,” he added.

    According to analysts, Airtel should also consider the competitiveness of the combined Vodafone-Idea Cellular company, which will have a comparatively strong fiber business through the recently acquired YOU Broadband business.

    Homes in 89 cities pan-India benefit from Airtel’s fixed-line telephone and broadband (DSL) services. The number is set to reach to least 100 key cities from 89 now with Airtel planning to set aside a sizeable portion of its Rs 24,000 crore capital expenditure plan for FY19 to expand its broadband network. Another 10 million-plus homes will be covered by FY21, t

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  • Bharti Airtel launches VDSL vectoring

    Bharti Airtel launches VDSL vectoring

    India’s Bharti Airtel has launched a new VDSL vectoring service the company has branded V-Fiber, capable of delivering speeds of up to 100Mbps.

    The company’s new service has been launched in Chennai, and is being rolled out across Airtel’s national broadband network – which spans 87 cities.

    Airtel will offer the service to its existing customers at no additional cost, except for the cost of an upgraded modem. For new subscribers, Airtel will offer an unlimited three month trial offer.

    The operator will now also offer all its fixed broadband subscribers unlimited voice calling at no extra cost, and is providing a rewards program to allow broadband customers to get 5GB of additional mobile data per month if they are also subscribed to Airtel’s mobile services.

    As part of Project Leap, Airtel’s nationwide network transformation initiative, the company is meanwhile augmenting its 550,000km of domestic and international fiber capacity to improve latency and customer service and meet growing demand for data services.

    “India is witnessing an explosive growth in data usage and a lot of in-home data consumption is happening over fixed broadband that offers consistent speeds. Airtel has always innovated ahead of the curve and offered its customers best-in-class broadband technology and experience,” Airtel director of operations Ajai Puri said.

    “With ‘V-Fiber’ and our national optic fiber backbone, we are all set to offer a future ready network for tomorrow’s digitally connected homes. This solution, besides reducing our carbon footprint, offers a very quick and convenient upgrade to the customer.”

    Airtel is bracing for the anticipated impact of the planned entry into the fixed broadband market of Reliance Jio Infocomm, the disruptive pan-Indian 4G service provider with an extensive existing fiber footprint.

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