Bharti Airtel posts Rs 1,035-cr Dec-quarter loss; revenues, ARPU improve

Bharti Airtel on Tuesday posted a net loss of Rs 1,035 crore for the quarter ended December 31 (Q3), as it provisioned for the interest accrued on account of AGR (adjusted gross revenue) payment. Analysts had pegged a loss figure in the quarter at Rs 640 crore. This is the company’s third consecutive quarterly loss; it had recorded a profit of Rs 86 crore in the year-ago quarter.

On the operational front, the company posted an improvement in average revenue per user (ARPU) from Rs 128 to Rs 135, sequentially. Mobile revenues have witnessed year-on-year (YoY) growth of 9.6 per cent on the back of focus on quality customers, up-trading and the recent tariff actions in some parts, the company stated. The full impact of the tariff actions is yet to be seen, it said.