According to The Financial Express, Bharti Airtel's weekly chart presents a classic example of the breakout-retest principle, with the stock facing resistance around the ₹1,779 zone before crossing this important horizontal barrier. The subsequent price action shows the stock returning towards the breakout area and spending several weeks consolidating around it, which technical analysis interprets as market testing whether the newly conquered level can withstand selling pressure. The retest zone has coincided with the rising 100-week Exponential Moving Average (100-WEMA), creating a confluence of technical support that matters significantly for trend-following analysis. Weekly RSI has moved back above the 50 mark, indicating that bullish momentum is regaining control after the earlier corrective phase. The technical sequence suggests sustained hold above the current zone offers a probable opportunity, while a decisive failure of the ₹1,700 support zone would challenge the continuation argument.
According to reports from The Financial Express, Bharti Airtel reported a 35.5% year-on-year rise in net profit to ₹8,057.2 crore in the June quarter, excluding exceptional items. The company's consolidated revenue increased 18.4% YoY to ₹58,539 crore. Airtel's India mobile business, which contributes around 73% of consolidated revenue, grew 9.2% YoY to ₹29,928.9 crore. In contrast, Vodafone Idea's loss narrowed sharply to ₹3,754 crore from ₹6,611 crore a year earlier, with revenue increasing 6% YoY to ₹11,689 crore. The company achieved a crucial milestone by adding subscribers for the first time since the 2018 merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular. As reported by The Economic Times, Vodafone Idea recorded its highest overall net additions since the 2018 merger, marking clear evidence of the recovery gaining real traction.
As reported by The Financial Express, Airtel's ARPU increased 2.72% sequentially to ₹264, supported by postpaid additions and higher smartphone data usage. Vodafone Idea's ARPU improved 10.2% YoY to ₹195 from ₹177, marking significant progress in monetization. However, Airtel continues to operate with a higher ARPU of ₹264 compared to Vodafone Idea's ₹195, indicating Airtel's premium positioning strategy. According to The Economic Times, Vodafone Idea is leaning on organic upgrades rather than tariff increases to drive ARPU growth, with management highlighting that a 2G-to-4G upgrade can lift a customer's ARPU to ₹230-₹240 range, while moving someone from a standard data plan to an unlimited plan adds roughly ₹30-₹35 on top. The company's postpaid and M2M segments are already net-addition positive, with management expecting prepaid to follow suit as network investments continue to deliver results across circles.
As reported by The Economic Times, Vodafone Idea's management framed Q1 as clear proof that the company's strategy is working, with CEO Abhijit Kishore noting that all seven operating parameters are moving in the right direction. The company has placed orders worth ₹9,000 crore towards its ₹45,000 crore three-year CapEx programme, including ₹1,930 crore already deployed in Q1 FY27. Management is targeting roughly 3,500 4G sites per month on average, with the bulk of 4G coverage expansion expected to wrap up in about 18 months. 5G deployment will naturally take longer, moving into the third year of the CapEx plan since it depends on fibre rollout. The near-term goal is to push 4G population coverage above 95% across the 17 priority circles while extending 5G into more than 200 additional cities over the next two quarters.
According to The Economic Times, Vodafone Idea's bank debt has fallen sharply to just ₹211 crore as of June 30, down from ₹1,926 crore a year earlier, representing a reduction of ₹1,715 crore. The company's free cash and bank balance stood at a healthy ₹6,558 crore as of the same date, giving it sufficient visibility to execute CapEx orders. Management credited the improving lender confidence to strong promoter support, better credit ratings and clear, visible progress in operating numbers. The first tranche of funding has validated the broader financing architecture behind the ₹45,000 crore CapEx plan, with management stating that cash on hand plus the first tranche gives sufficient visibility to execute current orders. The company is continuing to raise debt through multiple channels in parallel, with the stated plan to close out PSU-bank talks led by SBI while moving forward with other funding sources.
According to The Financial Express, Jefferies maintains a 'Buy' rating on Bharti Airtel with a target price of ₹2,360, implying around 20% upside. The brokerage expects Airtel's EBITDA and earnings per share to grow at compound annual growth rates of 14% and 28% respectively between FY27 and FY29. Motilal Oswal also assigns a 'Buy' rating with a target price of ₹2,335, indicating around 19% upside potential. The brokerage expects Airtel to generate more than ₹2.25 lakh crore in free cash flow between FY26 and FY29. For Vodafone Idea, Nomura has a 'Neutral' rating with a target price of ₹13.50, while JM Financial is more constructive with an 'Add' rating and target price of ₹14.70. As reported by The Economic Times, management's confident outlook suggests the turnaround is well underway, with strong postpaid and M2M momentum, organic ARPU growth, and real progress on funding all being presented as clear evidence of the recovery trajectory.
