New Delhi, March 2 The next generation of Sunil Bharti Mittal's family will receive a larger share in Bharti Telecom, the promoter firm of Bharti Airtel, as part of the succession plan unveiled by the telecom czar in a recent call with investors.
Mittal said during an investor call held on February 26 that his children are running their own businesses independently and receiving training outside Bharti Airtel, where they are experiencing their own successes and failures, as well as managing conflicts.
"I believe I still have some years to contribute to Airtel and Bharti Enterprises, but the next generation of my family is all developing their skills in different ways. In a few years, you will likely see them more prominently at the shareholder meetings," Mittal said.
Mittal has three children: Shravin Mittal, Kavin Mittal, and Eiesha Pasricha.
"Shravin has already been working for Airtel Africa. He was involved in operations when we acquired the company in 2010 until 2012, and he has been on the board of Airtel Africa since 2018. You will start to see some members of the Bharti family at the shareholder forums in the coming years," Mittal said.
He said that Bharti Telecom is the promoter of Airtel and currently owns about 41 per cent of the telecom firm.
"It would be my wish and desire to one day see Bharti Telecom regain a 50 per cent plus shareholding in Airtel. This can only happen with very large dividends or a buyback by Airtel in the future. It is a wish, but even if we have 41 per cent, you would agree that as a company listed on the Nifty 10, a 40 per cent plus stake is a very comfortable position for any promoter to have," Mittal said.
He said that the company will start paying out more dividends and seeks investors' support for the long term and superior returns.
Mittal said that some friendly investors were unhappy when Airtel decided to start operations in Africa in 2010, and now Airtel Africa is a star performer and has helped Indian operations during the difficult period of 2016-19 for the telecom sector.
"Airtel Africa is poised to become a USD 10 billion revenue company, generating upwards of USD 5 billion, and will be a very strong subsidiary of Airtel India, generating handsome returns for the company," Mittal said.
Talking about Airtel in India, Mittal said that 8-9 years ago, he had advocated for an ARPU (average revenue per user) of Rs 300, which is an important metric for the growth of telecom operators.
"I am not accounting for all the inflation that has taken place in the last eight or nine years. Rs 300 is now 15 per cent higher than what Airtel is currently earning. When will this happen? I don't know, but it will certainly happen. Will it be in a few months, or will it take a year or two?"
He said that free unlimited data on 5G may need to be bundled in a more coherent way than the current plans.
"I see no reason why heavy consumers, business users, and high-end users should only be paying Rs 400 a month, which is now nearly four dollars a month. Providing them with these high-quality, high-bandwidth services is a legitimate expectation," Mittal said.
"I remain very hopeful that we will reach 300, but adjusting for inflation. All I think is that we should aim for an ARPU of Rs 350, which would be the most appropriate ARPU in today's time frame," Mittal said.
In the third quarter ended December 31, 2025, Bharti Airtel recorded a 5.7 per cent increase in ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) to Rs 259 during the quarter, compared to Rs 245 a year ago.
Analysts expect telecom operators in India may increase mobile tariffs by 15 per cent after about two years by June this year.