BS EDIT: Revenue Milestone

By Business StandardPublished On Aug 12, 2025

A Landmark Number

Bharti Airtel has reached an average revenue per user (Arpu) of ₹250, breaking free from years of sluggish growth in the Indian telecom sector

Industry Gap Widens

Airtel’s Arpu far outpaces rivals — Jio at ₹209 and Vodafone Idea at ₹175 — while the sector average stands at ₹174.46 for 2024-25

Global Context

Indian Arpu lags far behind global peers. In the US, top telcos cross ₹4,300 per user monthly; in Europe, over ₹1,000; and in China, around ₹600

Beyond Tariff Hikes

Raising Arpu is not just about higher tariffs. Targeted service design, innovation, and differential pricing can strengthen financial health sustainably

Risks & Opportunities

With debt-heavy balance sheets and fears of a duopoly, telcos must use higher Arpu to drive innovation, quality, and market diversity

The Future Path

Airtel’s foray into cloud services reflects the need for agile, data-driven strategies to prepare for AI-led disruption and expand India’s 85% teledensity