Bharti Airtel Becomes World's Second Largest Telco, Hits 650 Million Customers

Bharti Airtel has reached a historic global milestone, officially becoming the world's second-largest telecom operator by customer base. According to a press release dated April 2, 2026, the company now serves over 650 million customers across its operations in India and Africa.

This ranking, validated by GSMA Intelligence, underscores Airtel's massive scale and its successful expansion into emerging markets. The company's growth is anchored by a "customer-obsessed" strategy and a heavy investment in next-generation digital infrastructure.

Key Operational Highlights

India: A Converged Digital Ecosystem

Mobile & 5G: Airtel serves over 368 million mobile customers in India. It was the first to launch 5G Plus services, which now power a suite of converged offerings including Xstream AirFiber (FWA) and IPTV.

Home Services: The company provides high-speed internet to over 13 million homes and Digital TV services to 15 million.

Airtel Business & Nxtra: For enterprises, Airtel provides cybersecurity, IoT, and cloud services supported by a 400,000 km subsea fiber network and Nxtra's green data centers.

Financial Services: Airtel has recently entered the NBFC space, using data insights to offer personalized credit and financial products via its app.

Airtel Africa: Driving Financial Inclusion

Regional Reach: With 179 million customers across 14 countries, Airtel is the second-largest operator in Africa.

Airtel Money: This mobile financial platform serves over 52 million customers, providing vital banking and payment services to previously unbanked populations.

Global Connectivity & Space

Airtel is aggressively bridging the digital divide through partnerships with Eutelsat OneWeb and SpaceX. By utilizing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, the company is now delivering high-speed broadband to remote rural areas, as well as the maritime and aviation sectors.

Shares of Bharti Airtel Limited was last trading in BSE at Rs. 1789.55 as compared to the previous close of Rs. 1782.00. The total number of shares traded during the day was 840365 in over 36107 trades.

The stock hit an intraday high of Rs. 1799.20 and intraday low of 1747.15. The net turnover during the day was Rs. 1491593945.00.

Source : Equity Bulls

Keywords

BhartiAirtel INE397D01024 TelecomServices Milestone 650MnCustomers