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Bharti’s Profit Disappoints on One-Off Forex Related Charges

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Bharti Airtel Ltd. reported a lower-than-expected quarterly profit as gains from tariff hikes failed to offset the drag from a one-time charges due to foreign exchange losses.

Bharti’s Profit Disappoints on One-Off Forex Related Charges

bharti airtel

India’s No.2 wireless carrier, led by billionaire Sunil Mittal, almost trebled its net income to 35.9 billion rupees ($427 million) for the quarter ended Sep. 30 from the same period last year, according to a filing Monday.

It still fell short of the average 43.98 billion-rupee profit estimated by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

The operator took a one-time expense of 8.54 billion rupees for the quarter on account of net foreign exchange loss due to currency devaluation in group units.

Revenue rose 12% to 414.73 billion rupees, beating estimates slightly. Total costs also climbed 12% to 196.3 billion rupees, the filing said.

The average revenue per user, or ARPU, for India operations was 233 rupees, a jump of 10% from the preceding quarter.

It’s a far cry from the 300-rupee mark that Bharti has been flagging for a while as the minimum needed for financial stability of the telecom operators.

The latest quarterly earnings are coming on a low base. Last year’s September quarter profit was also hit by a one-off expense due to an adverse court ruling in India and forex losses due to a devalued Nigerian naira.

“The flow through of tariff repair is in-line with our expectation on ARPU increase and SIM consolidation. We reported industry leading ARPU,” Gopal Vittal, managing director, said in the filing, without commenting specifically on the forex-related charges this quarter.

Vittal has been appointed as Bharti’s vice chairman while Shashwat Sharma was named as the managing director and chief executive officer, according to a company filing. Both will move into their new roles starting Jan. 1, 2026.

 

 

 


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Telecom

MTN Nigeria Non-Executive Director Mazen Mroue Quits to Focus on Group Role

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Mazen Mroue, a non-executive director at MTN Nigeria Communications Plc, has resigned effective February 27, 2026, to prioritise other responsibilities within the MTN Group, the company announced in a Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) filing.

MTN Nigeria Non-Executive Director Mazen Mroue Quits to Focus on Group Role

MTN Nigeria

 

The notice, signed by company secretary Uto Ukpanah, stated: “This is to enable Mr. Mroue to focus on other priorities within MTN Group Limited. The Board wishes to express its appreciation to Mr. Mroue for his immense service to MTN Nigeria and wishes him success in his future endeavours.”

Mroue joined MTN Nigeria’s board on June 1, 2022, bringing over 28 years of telecom experience. A veteran MTN executive, he previously served as CEO of MTN Uganda and MTN Liberia, non-executive director at MTN Cyprus, and held leadership roles at MTN Ghana.

Since February 2022, he has been MTN Group’s Chief Technology and Information Officer, overseeing technology strategy and governance. Earlier, as MTN Nigeria’s COO from August 2018 to January 2022, he also sat on the MTN Nigeria Foundation board.

The exit follows MTN Nigeria’s stellar 2025 results, posting a ₦1.70 trillion profit before tax—reversing a ₦550.3 billion loss in 2024 driven by forex woes—marking one of the telco’s strongest rebounds.


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Google Adds Yorùbá, Hausa to AI Search, Boosting Access for Millions of Nigerians

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Google has rolled out support for Yorùbá and Hausa languages in its AI-powered Search features—AI Overviews and AI Mode—enabling millions of Nigerians to get quick answers, summaries, and conversational web exploration in their mother tongues.

Google Adds Yorùbá, Hausa to AI Search, Boosting Access for Millions of Nigerians

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The update forms part of Google’s push to cover 13 African languages, including Afrikaans, Akan, Amharic, Kinyarwanda, Afaan Oromoo, Somali, Sesotho, Kiswahili, Setswana, Wolof, and isiZulu, selected based on high search activity across the continent.

Now, a Kano student can ask complex questions in Hausa, while an Ibadan trader seeks business tips in Yorùbá—both receiving culturally nuanced AI responses via text or voice on Android, iOS, or web.

Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google’s West Africa Communications Manager, said: “Building truly global Search requires nuanced local understanding. With Gemini-powered AI, we’ve made advanced capabilities relevant in Yorùbá and Hausa, so Nigerians converse naturally with Search in their mother tongues.”

To use: Open the Google app, tap AI Mode, and query in Hausa or Yorùbá for personalised guidance—breaking language barriers and making technology reflect Nigeria’s diverse identity.


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MultiChoice Shuts Down Showmax After 11 Years Amid Streaming Wars

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MultiChoice is closing its continental streaming platform Showmax after 11 years, notifying subscribers Thursday of the board’s decision to discontinue the service in the near future to refocus on sustainable digital offerings.

MultiChoice Shuts Down Showmax After 11 Years Amid Streaming Wars

MultiChoice

The email assured no immediate disruption: “You can continue streaming as usual, and no action is required from you at this time.” Showmax, launched in South Africa in 2015 and expanded across Africa, offered movies, series, documentaries, and sports to rival Netflix and others amid rising online entertainment demand.

The shutdown follows Canal+’s approved takeover of MultiChoice last year, with the French giant offering ZAR 125 per share for remaining stakes.

The deal mandates HDP ownership boosts, local content investment, and splitting MultiChoice’s SA broadcasting arm into an independent entity to meet regulations.

MultiChoice prioritised subscribers during the transition, promising advance notice on timelines.

Showmax’s exit signals consolidation pressures in Africa’s cut-throat streaming market, where global players dominate despite local content strengths.


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