Bharti Airtel founder and chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal has outlined plans for a gradual transition of the telecom business to the next generation of the Mittal family over the coming decade, while also expressing a desire for promoter entity Bharti Telecom to regain majority ownership in the company.
Speaking during Bharti Airtel’s fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday, Mittal said he wanted Bharti Telecom to eventually return to a controlling stake of more than 50 per cent in Airtel as leadership responsibilities shift over time.
“My own wish is that in the next decade, as I come to a point where I hand over the reins to the next generation as shareholders, Bharti Telecom should get back to controlling shareholding of 51 per cent or just over 50 per cent,” Mittal said during the call, reported ET.
Promoter group aims to rebuild majority holding
Bharti Telecom, jointly owned by the Mittal family and Singapore Telecommunications Limited’s group entities, currently holds a 40.47 per cent stake in Airtel.
The broader promoter group, which includes:
- Bharti Telecom
- Indian Continent Investment
- Pastel Limited
- Other promoter-linked entities
collectively owns 48.87 per cent in Bharti Airtel.
Mittal said Bharti Telecom historically functioned as the company’s principal controlling shareholder and should ideally return to that position over time.
According to Mittal, increasing Bharti Telecom’s stake by around 10 percentage points would require substantial financial resources. Based on Airtel’s current market capitalisation and share price, he estimated the investment requirement at nearly ₹1 lakh crore.
Chairman reappointed until 2031
The comments come shortly after Airtel’s board reappointed Mittal as chairman for another five-year term until September 30, 2031.
Mittal founded the Bharti Group in 1976, building it into one of India’s largest business conglomerates spanning telecommunications, digital infrastructure, financial services and space communications.
During the earnings call, he indicated that the pace of stake consolidation would depend on Airtel’s operational performance and cash generation over the next few years.
Key ownership details shared during the call included:
- Bharti Enterprises Holding owns 50.56 per cent in Bharti Telecom
- Singtel Group owns 49.44 per cent in Bharti Telecom
- Singtel separately holds around 7 per cent direct stake in Airtel
- Bharti Telecom currently owns 40.47 per cent in Airtel
Mittal noted that the gap required to achieve the desired 51 per cent promoter holding could reduce further following ongoing transactions and share issuances.
Airtel Africa stake increase also on agenda
Mittal also outlined ambitions to deepen Airtel’s ownership in Airtel Africa over the long term.
The Airtel board recently approved a share swap deal worth ₹28,220 crore that will raise Airtel’s stake in Airtel Africa by 16.31 percentage points to around 79 per cent from 62.73 per cent currently.
Mittal said UK regulations permit ownership of up to 90 per cent in Airtel Africa and suggested the company should work towards that threshold over time.
He added that future buybacks and stake purchases could help increase Airtel’s ownership further and potentially improve income flows back to the parent company.
Focus remains on growth and expansion
Despite discussing higher dividends, buybacks and ownership consolidation, Mittal stressed that Airtel would continue prioritising growth investments rather than becoming overly focused on returning cash to shareholders.
He criticised companies that relied heavily on dividends and buybacks without investing in strategic acquisitions or future-facing businesses.
The remarks came alongside Airtel’s latest financial results, where the telecom operator reported a 33.5 per cent year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit for the March 2026 quarter to ₹7,325 crore due to one-time statutory and tax-related provisions.
However, the company’s annual revenue crossed ₹2 lakh crore for the first time, supported by customer growth and higher average revenue per user in India.
As Airtel expands across telecom, digital infrastructure and African markets, Mittal’s comments offer one of the clearest public signals yet on the group’s long-term ownership structure and succession roadmap.