Fortune Scrip     

Published: January 15, 2026
Updated: January 15, 2026

Bharti Airtel Ltd

Smorgasbord of digital offerings

With the stock market passing through an uncertain phase, with a downward inclination, it has becomes very difficult to select a stock as the fortnightly Fortune Scrip. Even fundamentally strong, financially stable and well-managed companies lack fresh buying support, and no one knows how long the current phase of uncertainty and widespread selling pressure, led by foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), will continue. In this scenario, we have selected a company which continues to attract stable demand. It is Bharti Airtel, a leading Indian telecom multinational that provides mobile (4G/5G), broadband (fibre, air fibre), DTH (Direct to Home) and digital services across India and Africa, serving over 600 million customers globally

Headquartered in New Delhi, Bharti is a major global telecom player and India’s second largest telecom operator, with 33.5 crore wireless customers in India and 14 crore subscribers across 14 African countries. It offers solutions from basic connectivity to Enterprise Cloud IoT (Internet of Things) and digital payments, making it India’s largest integrated telecom provider.

The company operates in India, Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, among other regions, with an Avast network. Bharti Airtel boasts of having led the 4G/5G roll-out in India, focusing on digital transformation for consumers and businesses. As far as the digital ecosystem is concerned, the company offers integrated digital experiences via the Airtel Thanks app, including OTT subscriptions (Sony Liv, Zee5) and AI (artificial intelligence) tools like Perplexity Pro.

DIGITAL FORCE

Founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal in 1995 with a strong global partnership (e.g. Singtel), Airtel is a comprehensive digital lifestyle company that has evolved from a traditional telecom provider into a major force in emerging markets that is known for its expansive network and customer-centric digital offerings.

The stock is attracting heightened market activity. On December 29, 2025, Bharti Airtel witnessed a notable 11.2% increase in Open Interest in its derivatives segment, signalling heightened market activity and shifting investor positioning. The OI rose sharply to 172,148 contracts from 164,795 contracts the previous day. This increase in OI was accompanied by futures volume of 101,231 contracts, reflecting sustained trading interest. The futures value stood at Rs 337,228 lakh, while the options segments exhibited a substantial value of Rs 68,220 crore, underscoring the stock’s prominence in the derivatives market. The combined derivatives turnover amounted to Rs 339,671 lakh, indicating strong liquidity and active participation from institutional and retail traders alike.

FINANCES BOOM

The company has made rapid strides on the financial front. During the last 12 years, its sales turnover has more than doubled from Rs 85,864 crore in fiscal 2014 to Rs 172,985 crore in fiscal 2025, with operating profit more than trebling from Rs 26,512 crore to Rs 85,060 crore and the profit at net level shooting up over 12 times from Rs 3,019 crore to Rs 37,481 crore. But we have not selected this stock as the Fortune Scrip on account of its past laurels. We are highly confident that the future prospects for this company are all the more promising. Consider:

• Prospects of the telecom industry are very strong, driven by the fact that along with daily essentials, mobile phones have become an essential item for people, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. In fact, mobile connections are growing in rural areas too. Again, the growth of the sector is being driven by massive 5G/6G rollouts, AI-powered automation, rising data demand (Internet of Things, Edge Computing) and diversification into B2B digital services (health, education), key growth areas like APIs for developer monetisation, satellite com, and secure quantum tech, positioning telcos as foundational for the digital economy and requiring strategic investment and innovation to capture new value. What is more, the industry’s role is shifting from mere connectivity providers to enablers of digital ecosystems (healthcare, education, B2B, solutions). The industry is transforming into a platform for digital services, relying on deep tech like AI, Quantum and networks.

DUOPOLY SCENE

• With most small operators shutting shop, the industry is moving towards a duopoly of two major players – Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. In order to ensure that both these giant operators do not take advantage of the duopoly situation, the government is trying to keep alive Vodafone Idea, which is heavily in debt. Thus, Bharti Airtel has very limited competition while demand for its products in steadily rising. The major factor that will influence the pace of growth of the telecom industry is government policy. With a favourable industry structure of three players, Bharti is in a sweet spot to maintain its relative strength among its peers with a formidable digital ecosystem offering. The company enjoys industry-leading ARPU in the wireless business in India.
• Renowned stock market analysis platform MarketsMojo has upgraded Bharti to platform grade, and from ‘hold’ to ‘buy’ as of December 16, 2025, reflecting improved fundamentals and technical indicators. The stock’s major score stands at 71, signalling a favourable risk-reward profile, despite a very large market capitalisation of Rs 11,88,945.98 crore seeking exposure to the telecom sector’s growth potential.
• Institutional investors play a pivotal role in shaping Bharti Airtel’s market trajectory. The company’s large-cap status and Nifty50 membership attract significant participation from mutual funds portfolio investors. Changes in institutional holdings can influence liquidity and price stability, especially given the stock’s sizeable market capitalisation of nearly Rs 12 lakh crore.
• Bharti Airtel’s inclusion in the Nifty50 index underscores its stature as one of India’s leading blue chip companies. This membership not only reflects the company’s sizeable market capitalisation but also ensures heightened visibility among institutional investors and index funds. The stock’s presence in this benchmark results in increased liquidity and trading volumes, as many passive funds replicate the index composition. Being part of Nifty50 also means that Bharti’s stock movements can have a material impact on the index’s overall performance. This relationship is particularly relevant, given the company’s substantial weighting within the telecom sector, which itself is a key component of the broader market.

CARTOON MENU

• Bharti Airtel has launched an exclusive ad-free Cartoon Network Classics, a value-added, ad-free channel on Airtel digital TV developed in partnership with Warner Bros’ Discovery. The new service offers a curated slate of Looney Tunes, the Flintsones, Scooby Doo and Johny Bravo, targeting nostalia-driven adults and families as well as introducing classic franchises to younger viewers. This cartoon service has deepened Bharti’s family entertainment offering and has boosted viewer engagement.
• Prospects of the telecom industry are very strong driven by the fact that along with the Roti Kapada and Makan, mobile phone has also become an essential item for day to day life of the people particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. What is more of late mobile has started strengthening its footprints in rural areas also. Again the pace of growth of the sector is driven also massive 5G/6G rollouts, AI-powered automation, rising data demand (Internet of Things, Edge Computing) and diversification into B2B digital services (health, education) key growth area involvement work APIs for developer monetisation, satellites comms, open rans, and secure quantum tech, positioning telcos as foundational for the digital economy requiring strategic investment and innovation to capture new value. What is more, the industry role is shifting from mere connectivity providers to enablers of digital ecosystems (healthcare, education, B2B, solutions). The industry is transforming into a platform for digital services relaying on deep tech like AI, Quantum and networks.
• Institutional investors play a pivotal role in shaping Bharti Airtel's market trajectory. The company's large-cap status and Nifty 50 membership attract significant companies from mutual funds portfolio investors. Changes in institutional holdings can influence liquidity and price stability, especially given the stock's sizeable market capitalisation of nearly Rs. 12 lakh crore.
• Bharti Airtel's sustained outperformance relative to Sensex over multiple timeframes highlights capacity to deliver long-term value. The stock's 10-year return of 584.63% notably suprpasses the Sensex's 226.21 per cent, reflecting the company's successful navigation of industry challenges and its strategic investments in network expansion and digital services. Investors evalualing Bharti Airtel should consider the company's market leadership robust capitalisation and benchmark status along with sectoral trends and valuation metrics. While short-term volatility may persist, the stock's positioning within the Nifty 50 and its relative valuation suggest it remains a key player in India's telecom landscape. Shares of Bharti are quoted around Rs. 2110, just around 3% below its 52-week high. As the current market situation is full of uncertainties on account of growing global geopolitical tensions, spreading tariff war initiated by the US President Donald Trump, the stock price may face volatility with a downward inclination but once this tumulus period is over, the Bharti Airtel's stock price will tend to move up. Discerning investors who are ready to take risk and cherish long-term perspective can accumulate these stocks at every decline.