Overview
Bharti Airtel Limited, commonly known as Airtel, is an Indian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is one of the largest mobile network operators in the world by number of subscribers and operates in South Asia and Africa. The company provides services including 2G, 4G LTE, 4G+ and 5G mobile services, fixed line broadband, and digital television, along with enterprise services such as national and international long-distance connectivity and data centre operations.
Key facts
| Name | Bharti Airtel Limited |
|---|---|
| Type | Public company |
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Headquarters | New Delhi, India |
| Founder | Sunil Bharti Mittal |
| Parent | Bharti Enterprises |
| Area served | South Asia, Africa |
| Listings | BSE, NSE |
Background
Airtel is the flagship telecommunications business of Bharti Enterprises, a conglomerate founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal. The company began as a small business in the 1970s manufacturing bicycle parts and later moved into push-button telephones before entering the mobile services sector following India's economic liberalisation. Airtel was among the first private operators to roll out cellular services in India after the government opened the sector to private participation.
History and timeline
- 1995: Bharti Cellular Limited launched mobile services under the Airtel brand in Delhi.
- 2000s: Airtel expanded across India, becoming the country's largest private telecom operator.
- 2004: Airtel signed a landmark managed services agreement, outsourcing core network operations to vendors including Ericsson, Nokia and IBM, a model that was widely studied in the industry.
- 2010: Bharti Airtel acquired the African operations of Kuwait-based Zain Telecom, marking a major expansion into 15 African countries.
- 2012: Launched 4G LTE services in Kolkata, becoming the first operator to offer 4G in India.
- 2018: Airtel Payments Bank, a subsidiary, began retail banking services.
- 2019: Bharti Airtel created Airtel Africa, which had a separate listing on the London Stock Exchange.
- 2022: Launched 5G Plus services in select Indian cities following the 5G spectrum auction.
Operations
India
In India, Airtel offers wireless mobile services, Airtel Xstream Fiber broadband, Airtel Digital TV (DTH), and enterprise solutions through Airtel Business. The company operates across all telecom circles in India and is one of the principal competitors to Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea.
Africa
Airtel Africa, a subsidiary, provides telecommunications and mobile money services across multiple African countries including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
South Asia
Airtel operates in Sri Lanka and earlier had operations in Bangladesh; in Bangladesh, the local Airtel business was merged with Robi Axiata.
Subsidiaries and brands
- Airtel Africa – pan-African telecommunications operator.
- Airtel Payments Bank – digital and retail banking.
- Airtel Xstream – broadband and content streaming platform.
- Airtel Digital TV – direct-to-home satellite television service.
- Nxtra Data – data centre business.
Significance
Bharti Airtel is regarded as a defining company of India's post-liberalisation telecommunications boom. Its managed services and outsourcing model influenced telecom business practices globally. The company has played a major role in the growth of mobile penetration in India and in expanding access to mobile telephony in sub-Saharan Africa. It is consistently ranked among the largest Indian companies by market capitalisation and is a constituent of major Indian stock indices.
Related topics
- Bharti Enterprises
- Sunil Bharti Mittal
- Airtel Africa
- Airtel Payments Bank
- Telecommunications in India
- Reliance Jio
- Vodafone Idea
- Telecom Regulatory Authority of India
References
- Wikidata entity: Q854867
- Bharti Airtel Limited corporate disclosures and annual reports.