New Delhi: Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director of Bharti Airtel, has revealed plans to gradually hand over leadership responsibilities to the next generation over the coming decade while also outlining a long-term vision to strengthen promoter control in the telecom giant.

Speaking during the company’s earnings call for the quarter ended March 2026, Mittal said he hopes to transition leadership within the next 10 years. Alongside succession planning, he expressed a strong desire for Bharti Telecom to regain a controlling stake of more than 50 per cent in Airtel.

The remarks come at a time when Airtel continues to expand its subscriber base and revenue despite reporting a decline in quarterly profit.

Mittal outlines long-term succession roadmap

During the earnings discussion, Mittal shared his personal vision for the future of the Bharti Group and the ownership structure of Airtel.

He stated that his goal is to see Bharti Telecom regain a controlling shareholding of 51 per cent or slightly above by the time leadership transitions to the next generation.

Mittal acknowledged that increasing the stake by another 10 per cent would not be easy due to Airtel’s massive size and market valuation.

“If you really asked me, my own wish is that in the next decade, as I kind of come to a point where I hand over the reins to the next generation, as shareholders, Bharti Telecom should get back to a controlling shareholding of 51 per cent,” he said during the call.

Currently, Bharti Telecom serves as the main promoter entity holding shares in Airtel. Mittal indicated that the broader strategy would involve consolidating holdings from multiple promoter-linked entities under Bharti Telecom over time.

Focus on consolidating promoter holdings

Mittal explained that shares held by Indian Continent Investment Ltd. (ICIL), Bharti family entities and Singapore-based telecom company Singtel should increasingly move under Bharti Telecom wherever possible.

According to him, the move would help simplify ownership structures and strengthen promoter control in the long term.

“The principal direction or vision that I carry in my mind is all shares that we can get from both ICIL, Bharti family entities and Singtel should go into Bharti Telecom as much as possible,” Mittal said.

He also highlighted Singtel’s current shareholding pattern in Airtel and explained how recent transactions have narrowed the ownership gap between the Bharti family and the Singapore telecom operator.

Mittal noted that Singtel currently has around a 7 per cent direct stake in Airtel and had earlier sought to equalise ownership economics with the Bharti family.

Following the latest transaction, the difference in holdings has reportedly reduced to around 3.6 per cent.

Airtel crosses major revenue milestone

Alongside the succession comments, Airtel also announced its financial results for the March 2026 quarter.

The telecom company reported a 33.5 per cent decline in consolidated net profit, which stood at Rs 7,325 crore during the quarter. Despite the fall in profit, Airtel achieved a major revenue milestone as annual revenue crossed Rs 2 lakh crore for the first time in the company’s history.

The growth was driven by a steady increase in customers as well as improvement in average revenue per user (ARPU) in the Indian market.

According to the company’s earnings announcement, Airtel’s customer base grew by 3.2 per cent to reach 66.5 crore users globally.

The telecom operator also crossed the milestone of 65 crore customers during March 2026, further strengthening its position among the world’s leading telecom companies.

Airtel continues expansion amid competitive market

Airtel has remained one of India’s largest telecom operators alongside Reliance Jio and Vodafone Idea.

Over the last few years, the company has focused heavily on expanding its 5G services, improving digital infrastructure and increasing profitability through higher ARPU.

Industry analysts believe Mittal’s succession comments indicate that the Bharti Group is preparing for long-term continuity while maintaining promoter influence in Airtel’s operations.

The telecom sector in India continues to witness intense competition, rising infrastructure investments and growing demand for high-speed mobile data services.

With Airtel crossing major revenue and subscriber milestones, the company remains focused on strengthening both operational growth and shareholder structure for the future.

Mittal’s latest remarks offer one of the clearest indications yet about the leadership transition plans within the Bharti Group and the strategic direction the company intends to follow over the next decade.