Bharti Airtel

After a turbulent two-day slump, Indian equity markets staged a recovery on Monday, buoyed by positive cues from major Asian indices. The BSE Sensex rebounded 288.79 points to 81,407.39, while the NSE Nifty advanced 98.9 points to 24,817.50 in early trading. Gains were led by blue-chip firms such as Power Grid, TCS, and UltraTech Cement, even as some heavyweight stocks like Tata Motors and Axis Bank remained under pressure.

In a week marked by robust market sentiment, nine of India’s ten most valued companies collectively added Rs. 1,00,850.96 crore to their market capitalization. This surge was driven by optimistic investor sentiment and reflected broader gains in the equity markets, with the BSE Sensex climbing 737.98 points, or 0.90 percent. Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank stood out with significant gains, while Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) emerged as the lone decliner.

Bharti Airtel and Tata Group have mutually decided to terminate discussions for a merger of their direct-to-home (DTH) businesses, citing an inability to reach a satisfactory resolution. The decision, made public through a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), ends months of speculation regarding a potential merger of Bharti Telemedia, Airtel's DTH arm, with Tata Play, a subsidiary of Tata Group. The discussions were initially aimed at consolidating the DTH sector, but differences between the two parties ultimately led to the cessation of talks.

Bharti Airtel’s attempt to convert approximately Rs. 41,000 crore in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues into equity is under close examination by India’s Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Although recent policy reforms allow such a move, particularly for debt relief in the telecom sector, the government has indicated that the conversion is not automatic and will undergo thorough vetting.

India’s telecom sector witnessed incremental growth in January 2025, marked by a rise in the overall subscriber base to over 119 crore. Bharti Airtel led the charge in both mobile and wireline additions, while competitors like Vodafone Idea and state-run operators continued to lose ground. A major reclassification by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) impacted subscriber metrics, particularly affecting Reliance Jio’s wireline numbers.

Bharti Airtel, one of India’s leading telecom providers, has launched a pioneering partnership with quick commerce platform Blinkit to deliver SIM cards to customers within 10 minutes—an industry-first move aimed at redefining customer convenience. Initially rolled out in 16 major Indian cities, the service includes prepaid, postpaid, and number portability options. At a nominal fee of Rs. 49, the SIM cards will be delivered directly to customers’ doorsteps, followed by a seamless Aadhaar-based activation process.