How Airtel took a long call on profit by focusing on costs and customers

Airtel reported nearly a three-fold year-on-year increase in its net profit to Rs 2,008 crore in the fourth quarter of FY22

Six consecutive profitable quarters after an equal number of losses — for Bharti Airtel, the turnaround has been quick. But it is not a result of higher tariffs or absence of exceptional items alone. Execution and strategy are playing a part, too.

Bharti Airtel’s Chief Executive Officer Gopal Vittal summed it up in a post-result conference call last month. “We track the profit in each of our 237,500 (cell) sites. We know exactly what the problem is: Do we need more customers on that site or do we need to lower the cost structure on that site? This allows us to