Airtel logs consolidated Q4 loss of Rs 5,237 crore on one-time expenses

New Delhi: Bharti Airtel reported a consolidated net loss of Rs 5,237 crore in the January-March quarter, its fourth in succession, mainly due to one-time expenses relating to statutory dues and write-downs on 3G gear, besides higher finance costs. India mobile services though continued to recover, with average revenue per user (ARPU) rising sequentially for the fourth quarter, helped by higher data usage and tariff hikes.
The quarterly net loss, before exceptional items, stood at Rs 471 crore, compared with a net profit of Rs 107 crore a year ago, and a net loss of Rs 1,035 crore in the October-December period.
The telco reported a net exceptional charge of Rs 5,049.6 crore, which included that on account of reassessment of regulatory costs based on a recent judgement on one-time spectrum charge-related matters and interest on provision of licence fees and spectrum usage charges of Rs 870.6 crore.