Airtel’s premiumisation push comes at a cost as net subscriber additions fall 78%

Bharti Airtel’s net mobile subscriber additions plunged 78% sequentially in the September quarter after the telecom operator withdrew its Rs 299 entry-level prepaid smartphone plan, triggering higher customer churn as it pushed to improve its subscriber mix and average revenue per user (ARPU).

The company added just 7.2 lakh net mobile subscribers in the second quarter of FY27, down from 32.7 lakh in the June quarter, according to a research report by Citi. The withdrawal of the Rs 299 plan in August pushed mobile churn to 2.9% from 2.6% in the preceding quarter, the brokerage said.