History of Bharti Airtel: from founding to today
Bharti began in 1976 as a bicycle parts maker and launched Airtel in Delhi in 1995 26. It bought Zain's African business for $10.7 billion in 2010 6.
Beginnings
Sunil Bharti Mittal started Bharti in 1976 as a maker of bicycle parts in Ludhiana 2. It moved into push-button telephones in the 1980s and launched the Airtel mobile service in Delhi in 1995 6.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Bharti founded 2 |
| 1995 | Airtel mobile service launched in Delhi 6 |
| 2002 | Listed on the BSE and NSE 6 |
| 2005 | Covered all 23 telecom circles 6 |
| 8 June 2010 | Completed the $10.7 billion purchase of Zain's Africa business 13 |
| 2012 | Agreed to buy WBSPL, gaining 4G in 18 circles 13 |
| January 2017 | Airtel Payments Bank launched 13 |
| February 2017 | Telenor India deal signed 13 |
| 1 July 2019 | Tata Teleservices mobile business merged 13 |
| April 2024 | Bharti Hexacom listed 24 |
| August 2024 | Indus Towers became a subsidiary 14 |
| 1 January 2026 | Shashwat Sharma became MD and CEO 15 |
| June 2026 | Raised its effective Airtel Africa stake to about 79% 9 |
Disputes on the way
In October 2016 TRAI recommended a ₹3,050 crore penalty, split between Airtel, Vodafone and Idea, for denying interconnection to Jio 13. In October 2019 the Supreme Court ruled on AGR, which left Airtel with dues of ₹43,980 crore including interest and penalties 31.
Frequently asked questions
Its mobile service launched in Delhi in 1995. Bharti itself began in 1976.
The $10.7 billion deal was completed on 8 June 2010.
Sources✓ Verified 5 Nov 2026
1 Bharti Airtel, Q4 FY26 media release, 13 May 2026, FY26 results
2 Bharti Enterprises, About Bharti, 6 Nov 2026, group history
3 The New Indian Express, Sunil Bharti Mittal plans generational transition at Bharti Airtel, 15 May 2026, ownership, succession
4 Forbes, Sunil Mittal (Real-Time Billionaires), 5 Nov 2026, Mittal family
5 Bharti Enterprises, Leadership, 6 Nov 2026, leadership
6 Wikipedia, Sunil Mittal, 6 Nov 2026, history
7 Trendlyne, Bharti Airtel shareholding, 30 Sep 2026, shareholding
8 People Matters, Airtel founder Sunil Mittal plans gradual handover, 15 May 2026, ownership plan, chairman term
9 Free Press Journal, Bharti Airtel increases Airtel Africa stake to 79%, 23 Jun 2026, Airtel Africa swap
10 Business Standard, Singtel sells 1.2% stake in Airtel for $1.54 billion, 16 May 2025, Singtel sale
11 Business Standard, Singtel sells 0.8% stake in Bharti Airtel for about $1.2 billion, 7 Nov 2025, Singtel sale
12 Business Standard, Bharti Airtel promoter entity ICIL sells 3.43 cr shares for Rs 7,189 cr, 26 Nov 2025, ICIL sale
13 Wikipedia, Bharti Airtel, 6 Nov 2026, company history
14 Business Standard, Indus Towers to become Bharti Airtel subsidiary after buyback, 28 Aug 2024, Indus Towers
15 People Matters, Bharti Airtel names Shashwat Sharma as MD and CEO from January 2026, 19 Dec 2025, CEO change
16 Outlook Business, Airtel Africa CEO Ogunsanya to retire, Sunil Taldar named successor, 2 Jan 2024, Airtel Africa CEO
17 TelecomLead, Bharti Airtel Q2 FY2027 revenue rises 17% to ₹60,878 crore, 5 Nov 2026, Q2 FY27 operations
18 Business Today, Bharti Airtel Q2 net profit rises 31% to Rs 8,888 crore, 5 Nov 2026, Q2 FY27 results
19 TechAfricaNews, Airtel Africa half-year results, 30 Oct 2026, Airtel Africa H1
20 SAHI, Airtel Money share sale and London listing, 9 Oct 2026, Airtel Money listing
21 TelecomTalk, Jio, Airtel, Vi, BSNL users in September 2026, 27 Oct 2026, TRAI subscribers
22 TelecomLead, India telecom market 2026: Jio vs Airtel vs Vi vs BSNL, 28 Sep 2026, ARPU comparison
23 Business Standard, Bharti Airtel acquires 97 MHz of spectrum worth Rs 6,857 crore, 26 Jun 2024, 2024 spectrum
24 Business Standard, Bharti Hexacom set to start trading, 12 Apr 2024, Bharti Hexacom IPO
25 TelecomTalk, Nxtra raises $1 billion commitment, 2 Apr 2026, Nxtra
26 The Week (PTI), Airtel FY25 results, 13 May 2025, FY24-FY25
27 Free Press Journal, Bharti Airtel Q4 profit falls 26%; FY26 revenue crosses ₹2.1 lakh crore, 13 May 2026, FY26 results
28 Kotak Neo, Bharti Airtel Q4 FY26 profit falls 33%, 13 May 2026, Q4 FY26
29 Upstox, Bharti Airtel Q1 results: net profit soars 37% to ₹8,167 crore, 4 Aug 2026, Q1 FY27
30 Multibagg, Bharti Airtel Q2 debt decline, 1 Nov 2026, net debt
31 MediaNama, Supreme Court rejects Vodafone, Airtel AGR plea, 20 May 2025, AGR
32 FoxMandal, DoT denies AGR relief parity to Airtel and Tata Teleservices, 7 Apr 2026, AGR relief refused
33 Business Today, Airtel India denies massive data breach allegations, 5 Jul 2024, data breach claim
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