Bharti Airtel chairman and managing director Sunil Bharti Mittal said on Thursday that he wishes to hand over the reins to the next generation within the next 10 years. Speaking during the company’s concall, Mittal also expressed his personal aspiration for Bharti Telecom to once again cross the 50% ownership threshold in Airtel over the next decade.

On the group’s ownership approach, Mittal said the belief remains that everything should be held through one company, acting as the controlling promoter shareholder, as mentioned in a report in Moneycontrol. Bharti Telecom has historically been the founding promoter of the company and held a controlling shareholding of 51% for a long period. 

Mittal, who has been reappointed as chairman of the board for five years until September 30, 2031, said he wants Bharti Telecom to return to that level as he gradually prepares to hand over the business to the next generation.

"If you really ask me, my own wish is that in the next, I don’t know, it’s hard to put years on it, in the next decade, as I come to a point where I hand over the reins to the next generation as shareholders, Bharti Telecom should get back to controlling shareholding of 51% or just over 50%. So that’s 10% more to go," Mittal said. "And for a company of this magnitude and size, you can imagine that it’s not a small task," he added.

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Bharti Airtel reported a net profit of Rs 9,247.4 crore in the March 2026 quarter, down 26% from Rs 12,475.8 crore in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 16% to Rs 55,383 crore from Rs 47,876.2 crore, driven by sustained growth in India and robust performance in Africa. Consolidated EBITDA rose 0.6% year-on-year to Rs 32,038 crore, while EBITDA margin improved by 0.6% to 57.8%.

India mobile revenue rose 8.3% year-on-year, led by higher realisations and an expanding customer base. Airtel said average revenue per user rose to Rs 257 in the quarter from Rs 245 in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. The board recommended a final dividend of Rs 24 per fully paid-up equity share of face value Rs 5 each, and Rs 6 per partly paid-up equity share of face value Rs 5 each, where call money remains unpaid, in proportion to the amount paid up on each equity share.

The earnings were announced after market hours. Airtel shares closed 1.78% higher at Rs 1,788.10, giving the company a market capitalisation of Rs 10.89 lakh crore. The update combined Mittal’s succession roadmap, his target of restoring Bharti Telecom’s controlling stake to above 50%, and the company’s latest quarterly performance.

Published on: May 14, 2026 2:43 PM IST