History of Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel is an Indian multinational telecommunications services company that operates in 18 countries across South Asia and Africa, as well as the Channel Islands. The company was founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal in 1995, and it launched services in Delhi in the same year under the brand name AirTel. Within a few years, Bharti Airtel became the first telecom company to cross the 2 million mobile subscriber mark. In 2001, Bharti Airtel launched National Long Distance services under the 'IndiaOne' brand, executing one of the largest e-governance projects in India by setting up a network for the Income Tax Department and crossing the 300 million customers mark across its operations. In 2002, the company transitioned to a publicly traded entity, getting listed on both the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India. To better align with their brand identity, mission, and business focus, the company underwent a name change from Bharti Tele-Ventures to Bharti Airtel Ltd on April 24, 2006. This alteration reflected their core values and the scope of their operations.

Business Segments

Bharti Airtel is one of the leading and most trusted providers of ICT services globally, with over 500 million customers in 17 countries across South Asia and Africa. It is the second-largest mobile network in the world and is currently the second-largest operator in India, holding a market share of 32.2%. Bharti Airtel operates in various business segments, including:

1. Airtel Business: It provides a diverse portfolio of services such as voice, data, video, network integration, data centres, managed services, enterprise mobility applications, and digital media to enterprises, governments, carriers, and small and medium businesses. It offers global services in both voice and data, including International Toll-Free Services and SMS hubbing. Its strategically located submarine cables and satellite network enable its customers to connect across the world, including hard-to-reach areas.
2. Wireless Services: It offers bundled plans with truly unlimited voice packs, prepaid and postpaid plans, an industry-first exclusive rewards program called airtelThanks, industry-first voice-over Wi-Fi service, and redefined international roaming. It is rated as the network with India's best video experience and fastest download speed by Opensignal Mobile India Africa.
3. Homes Services: It provides ultra-fast broadband offering Airtel Xstream Fiber, offering up to 1Gbps, V-Fiber technology, and the airtelThanks program for Home Broadband customers. It also offers attractive plans and offers, highly reliable services, 24/7 online support, and value-added services.
4. Landline: It offers attractive plans and offers, highly reliable services, 24/7 online support, and value-added services.
5. Tower Infrastructure: It is one of the world's largest passive infrastructure providers, with more than 2,00,000 towers and 3,47,879 co-locations (including a proportionate share of Indus Towers).

The company’s subsidiaries are spread across the globe, including the following:

1. Beetel Teletech Limited: Beetel Teletech Limited is a prominent distribution and manufacturing company based in India. Established in 1985, Beetel is a part of the esteemed Bharti Group and has made significant strides in the telecommunications industry. The company is renowned for offering an extensive array of innovative products, including mobile handsets, fixed-line telephones, enterprise solutions, and IT peripherals.
2. Bharti Telemedia Limited: Incorporated in 2006, Bharti Telemedia Limited is a notable player in the cable and satellite video services sector in India. This company, classified as a public limited company, is an integral part of the Bharti Group's diverse portfolio.
3. Indus Towers/Bharti Infratel Limited: Bharti Infratel Limited, established in July 2007, played a pivotal role in India's telecommunications infrastructure landscape. This company, born from the strategic move of Bharti Airtel, was a wholly-owned subsidiary. Indus Towers Limited boasts an extensive infrastructure comprising more than 192,874 towers and 342,831 co-locations, as of March 31, 2023. Their nationwide presence spans all 22 telecom circles in India, providing comprehensive coverage across the country. Indus Towers is proud to serve some of the industry's most prominent customers, including Bharti Airtel (along with Bharti Hexacom), Vodafone Idea Limited, and Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited.

Over the years, Bharti Airtel entered into partnerships with Verizon, AWS, Cisco, Symantec, and Telecom Egypt, among others. Its joint ventures are British Telecom and Singtel.

Key Management Personnel

• Sunil Mittal, Founder & Chairman

Sunil Bharti Mittal. He is an Indian billionaire businessman and philanthropist who founded Bharti Enterprises in 1984 and launched services in Delhi in 1995 under the brand name AirTel. Sunil is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours and Harvard Business School’s Alumni Achievement Award. He holds a position on Harvard University's Global Advisory Council and has been a member of the Harvard Business School Board of Dean's Advisors.

• Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO

Gopal is the Managing Director and CEO of Bharti Airtel Limited and is responsible for the overall strategy and direction of the company. He joined Bharti Airtel in 2006 as the head of marketing and has been instrumental in transforming the company into a leading telecommunications provider in India and Africa.

Corporate Actions

Buybacks: 

• In 2021, Bharti Airtel acquired a 20% stake in its DTH arm, Bharti Telemedia, held by an affiliate of private equity firm Warburg Pincus for ₹3,126 crore.

Rights Issue: 

• In 2019, Bharti Airtel announced a rights issue of up to ₹25,000 crore, which was the largest-ever rights issue by an Indian company in the ratio of 19:67.
• In 2021, the company issued rights of 1 share against 14 held.

Merger and Acquisitions:

• In 2010, Bharti Airtel announced that it would launch the Airtel brand in Zain Telecom's operations in 15 nations.
• In 2018, Bharti Airtel acquired Tata Teleservices' consumer mobile business, which added 40 million subscribers to its customer base.

Management Outlook

• Bharti Airtel's long-term outlook is focused on expanding its operations and services across India and Africa, investing in new technologies such as 5G, and improving its customer experience.
• The company aims to achieve a leadership position in the Indian telecom market and become a leading provider of ICT services globally.
• Bharti Airtel is also committed to corporate social responsibility and has implemented various initiatives to promote education, health, and environmental sustainability.
• The company's recent partnership with Nokia for 5G radio access network deployment is a step towards achieving its long-term goals.