Airtel may hike capex to Rs 280 bn for 5G rollout
ECONOMY & POLICY

Airtel may hike capex to Rs 280 bn for 5G rollout

Bharti Airtel plans to invest Rs 270-280 billion in its telecom network with the focus on 5G rollout.

While the company is plans to increase capital expenditure by 10-15%, it has no plans to charge a premium rate for 5G services, as such differential tariff schemes have not worked in several countries that tried it.

“Airtel capex will be in line with that spent in the last three years. It may go up or down because of the faster rollout of 5G - around Rs 27,000-28,000 crore. We may see an upsurge in one year and gradually moderate around the same level,” an official who did not wish to be named said.

The company earlier had an annual average capex in the range of Rs 240-250 billion. The official said that capex is being largely spent on radios (mobile antennas), fibre, broadband, enterprise technology, data centres, etc.

According to data from the Telecom Ministry, Bharti Airtel has rolled out 3,293 base stations for 5G till November 26.

The official said that the company hopes mobile service rates will go up, but the range of increase will depend on market dynamics.

He said that in the next six weeks the company will have a full idea of the pilot and take calls on its rollout in other telecom circles.

He said that the company sees a lot of business coming from consumers shifting from 2G to 4G, pre-paid to postpaid, and postpaid customers buying all of Airtel's services like broadband, direct-to-home etc.

See also:
India’s data centres have attracted $10 bn since 2020
AWS launches cloud infra region in Hyderabad


Bharti Airtel plans to invest Rs 270-280 billion in its telecom network with the focus on 5G rollout. While the company is plans to increase capital expenditure by 10-15%, it has no plans to charge a premium rate for 5G services, as such differential tariff schemes have not worked in several countries that tried it. “Airtel capex will be in line with that spent in the last three years. It may go up or down because of the faster rollout of 5G - around Rs 27,000-28,000 crore. We may see an upsurge in one year and gradually moderate around the same level,” an official who did not wish to be named said. The company earlier had an annual average capex in the range of Rs 240-250 billion. The official said that capex is being largely spent on radios (mobile antennas), fibre, broadband, enterprise technology, data centres, etc. According to data from the Telecom Ministry, Bharti Airtel has rolled out 3,293 base stations for 5G till November 26. The official said that the company hopes mobile service rates will go up, but the range of increase will depend on market dynamics. He said that in the next six weeks the company will have a full idea of the pilot and take calls on its rollout in other telecom circles. He said that the company sees a lot of business coming from consumers shifting from 2G to 4G, pre-paid to postpaid, and postpaid customers buying all of Airtel's services like broadband, direct-to-home etc. See also: India’s data centres have attracted $10 bn since 2020AWS launches cloud infra region in Hyderabad

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

3i Infotech Reports Rs 7.25 Bn Revenue for FY25

3i Infotech, a leading provider of digital transformation, technology services and technology solutions, announced its consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year FY25, ended on March 31st, 2025. The company maintained its growth momentum, displaying consistent progress for the 3rd consecutive quarter.In Q4 FY25, 3i Infotech reported revenue of Rs 1.87 billion, reflecting steady performance compared to Rs 1.81 billion in Q3 FY25 and Rs 1.97 billion in Q4 FY24. The company delivered strong profitability improvements, with gross margin growing by 14.8 per cent Q-o-Q and 1..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Emerald Finance Joins Baya PTE to Boost SME Bill Discounting

Emerald Finance is a dynamic company offering a spectrum of financial products and services including its flagship Earned Wage Access (EWA) in India, has entered into a strategic partnership with Singapore-based Baya PTE through its Indian subsidiary. This collaboration aims to strengthen bill discounting services for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), enabling faster access to working capital and improved cash flow management.The initiative is designed to support SMEs that supply to large corporates such as JSW Steel, Delhivery, and PVR INOX, among others. By facilitating timely invoice dis..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

BLS E-Services Crosses Rs 5 Bn Revenue Mark in FY25

BLS E-Services, a technology-enabled digital service provider, announced its audited consolidated financial results for the quarter and full year period ended 31 March 2025.Speaking about the performance and recent updates, Shikhar Aggarwal, Chairman, BLS E- Services said, “We are delighted to report a remarkable performance in FY25, as we achieved several milestones during the fiscal year. FY25 marked our highest-ever financial performance, as we surpassed Rs 5 billion milestone in Total Income during the year, which was reported at Rs 5.45 billion, a notable YoY growth of 76 per cent. The ..

Advertisement

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Talk to us?