Bharti Airtel's Q2 net dips 65%, pricing pressure weighs on revenues

Posts revenues in line with street estimates, India ARPUs ahead of estimates

Aided by one-off gains, telecom major Bharti Airtel posted a consolidated net profit of Rs 1.18 billion for the September quarter. This was 22 per cent higher than the Rs 0.97 billion it reported in the June quarter, though down 65 per cent over the year-ago period.

There were two one-off gains, including a deferred tax write-back, resulting in an exceptional gain of Rs 10.1 billion. Without this, the company would have been in the red, as the pre-exceptional loss was Rs 9.65 billion.

On the operational front, pricing pressure continued to take a toll on revenue and margin, especially